And Then There Were Three
by Hotflash
Summary: SORRY! On hold while i get my life in order... Ever notice how things tend to happen in threes? sequel to "When Times are Tough" & "Everything Changes" follows new family Gage, love interest of Stoker,changes for DeSoto family.
1. Chapter 1

And Then There Were Three

**Chapter 1**

* DISCLAIMER: I have no rights to or claim to the characters of the television show Emergency! I just like to take them out and play with them from time to time. All other characters appearing in my story are figments of my own imagination. I am not an emergency responder and I do not work in the medical field or fire service and as such I don't guarantee the scenes will be realistically or accurately portrayed in terms of technicalities. While in most instances I try to be true to the spirit of the original television show, I reserve the right to take liberties as to character development, "known history" of the characters etc., because I write my stories for my own entertainment. I hope you, as readers will enjoy reading it too.

Johnny opened his eyes reluctantly as he heard the familiar sound of the little girl crying. He groaned at the thought of having to climb out of the warm covers and go to her room to get her. Sharon woke to the sound of his groan and, hearing her daughter's cries, she sat up.

"I'll get her. Go back to sleep," she said to her husband.

"No, I have to get up anyway. Nature calls."

Until three months ago, Becca had lived full time with her great aunt while her mother went to school and worked. The plan was for her mother to take her as soon as she was financially able to care for her. Although Becca saw her mother regularly, the roles of mother and aunt had been reversed for all practical purposes. Getting used to the switch in roles of these two important people in her life had been somewhat challenging for Becca and for everyone else involved

Johnny got up and quickly answered nature's call. He washed his hands and hurried to the crying toddler's room. Reaching into her crib, which she was getting much too big for, he picked her up.

"Awright, awright. I'm here. You're okay now," he comforted as he held her to his shoulder and gently rubbed her back while he walked with her back to his room. She had not quieted much by the time he laid her in the bed next to her mother. Sharon put her arm around her little girl and pulled her close as Johnny climbed back in bed and pulled the covers up around them. He rolled to his side and put his arm around his wife and the crying child. The comforting from her mother and the warmth of the three of them cuddling soon put Becca back to sleep, snoring softly.

Sharon looked over at Johnny. He looked so tired. His last shift had been one of constant runs. He had missed both his lunch and dinner due to calls and the best he and his partner had done was grab a cookie here and a donut there along with their coffee during visits to Rampart to drop off patients. His energy had been drained to a major low and then to make matters worse, they spent the entire night fighting a 4-alarm warehouse fire. They didn't return to the barn until three hours into the next shift. When he had arrived home after work he had showered and gone straight to bed. Exhaustion and dehydration had taken their toll and he hadn't fully recovered yet. Sharon looked at the clock. It was three a.m. It had been nearly fifteen hours since Johnny had gone to bed. She reached over to Johnny and touched his arm. He opened one eye.

"You know, all the sleep in the world isn't going to make you feel better if you don't drink enough fluids. You need to re-hydrate."

"Okay doc," he said.

Sharon gave his arm a little squeeze as she smiled at him. Then she let go of his arm and slowly pulled her body away from her sleeping little girl. When she was able to get out of bed she stood up then bent over to pick up the sleeping child. Carefully and gently she carried her back to her own bed and tucked her in. Then she went to the kitchen and found the pouch of electrolyte drink mix on the counter and made a glassful for Johnny. Before she brought it to him, she make him a cheese sandwich. He hadn't eaten in hours either and she knew he must be starving. She took a straw out of the drawer in the kitchen and brought him the drink and the sandwich. As she set it on his nightstand she touched his shoulder.

"Johnny, sit up."

Johnny opened one eye again. "I d'wanna," he mumbled.

"Sit up. You need to drink and I'm not going to let you sleep until you drink this down."

Johnny reluctantly sat up, rubbing his forehead with the palms of his hands. His head was pounding and his body hurt. He knew she was right. They were classic symptoms of dehydration. He took the glass she offered, put the straw to his lips and took a sip of the cool liquid. It felt good. The sensation of it going down his throat made him aware that he was intensely thirsty and he stopped to remove the straw then gulped it greedily down. Looking at his wife with appreciation he asked her for more as his stomach let out a loud growl, protesting the long period without sustenance. Though she was tired herself, Sharon gladly headed back to the kitchen to make more for him and brought it back just as Johnny swallowed the last bite of his sandwich. Johnny drank half of the second glass before setting it down while Sharon climbed back in bed.

"Thank you." He said, reaching over to pull her close. Sharon snuggled into his arms.

"You're welcome. I want you to feel better."

"How 'bout if I feel _you_ better?" he suggested as he let his hands start to wander. Sharon giggled.

"Later! You need to get your strength up first."

Johnny didn't give up so easily. He kept fondling and caressing his wife even as she pushed his hands away. He didn't care how he felt. He still wanted her. And if he waited, Becca would be awake and it would be too late. Finally he just used his strong arms to pull her on top of him and when she felt how serious he was, she quit resisting.

"Johnny, you aren't going to take no for an answer, are you?" she asked.

"Hm mm." He said as he began to kiss her passionately. Sharon returned his passion and for the next forty-five minutes the rest of the world didn't exist.

At 6:08 a.m. Johnny awoke with Sharon snuggled in his arms. The fluids she had forced him to drink had definitely made a difference in the way he felt, but now he again had an urgent need to get up. As carefully and gently as he could he extricated himself from the bed leaving his wife with her arms curled around his pillow. He hurried off to take care of urgent matters and then headed to the kitchen. Sunlight was pouring in the window making the room almost seem to glow and Johnny shielded his eyes with his hand until they adjusted to the brightness. He put some fresh coffee on and sauntered back into the bedroom. He was considering waking Sharon for round two when he heard a small voice calling.

"Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy…" Becca was saying it over and over. There was no urgency to her voice; she was just saying it. For the last three months Johnny and Sharon had tried to get her to say it but Becca would only point when she wanted him. Johnny's heart was filled with warmth at the sound of the word coming from his princess. She was talking about him. He made an about face and walked to her room. As he stepped into the room Becca was standing at the side of her crib watching him and she reached her arms out to be picked up.

"Good mornin' Princess," Johnny said. Becca may not have been born of his blood but she was definitely _his_ little girl. She was in his heart even as he waited on the adoption process to make her legally so. Becca smiled as Johnny reached into her crib, picked her up and hugged her. She wrapped her little arms tightly around his neck. Johnny carried her into the bathroom and helped her get situated on the seat. At 21 months, she was almost completely potty trained. She hadn't had an accident for two weeks now in the daytime and he was very proud of her. At nighttime she woke up dry about half the time. When Becca had finished at the potty Johnny helped her wash her hands as he praised her. Then they headed to the kitchen.

"Are you hungry sweetheart?" he asked her.

"Yessss," she answered dragging out the "s."

"Would you like some applesauce while Daddy makes pancakes?" he asked her.

"Yessss."

Johnny spooned the applesauce into a small dish and set in front of her at her high chair. He gave her a small spoon and let her feed herself as he started mixing the pancake mix.

"Miwk pease," Becca requested. She still wasn't always good at 'L's" and "R's."

Johnny took a sippy cup out of the cupboard, filled it half way with milk and handed it to Becca.

"Thank you," she said as clearly as could be.

Johnny had not known the girl more than a few months but he was impressed with the manners she had been taught at such a young age. She had better manners than most of the adults he knew. _Tania did a great job with her_, he thought.

"Mama!" Becca said excitedly. Johnny looked up to see Sharon standing in the kitchen doorway.

"Becca, good morning," she said with a smile as she waved at Becca. She went to Johnny and hugged him. Johnny responded with a kiss for her.

"Daddy makes pamcake."

Sharon looked at Becca wide eyed. "What did you say, Sweetie?"

"Daddy makes pamcake." Becca repeated herself. Sharon squealed with delight.

"She did it! She called you Daddy!"

"I know!" said Johnny grinning widely. "When she woke up she was saying it over and over in her crib."

Sharon bent down to eye level with Becca. Smiling she asked her, "Is that your daddy? Is he making breakfast for you?"

"Yessss. Daddy makes pamcakes."

"He sure does, Baby. Just for you, because he loves you!" Sharon hugged her being careful to avoid getting applesauce on herself in the process. When she stood up Johnny handed her a cup of coffee, which she gladly accepted.

Sharon sat down at the table and turned to face Johnny as he stood over the "pamcakes" at the stove.

"I think it is time to stop taking her back and forth. It's time for us to be our own family." Johnny's words expressed the same thoughts that were on Sharon's mind.

"I agree. But I don't quite know how to explain it to Aunt Tania."

"We'll just tell her. We can make arrangements for them to see Becca the way you used to go see her when she lived with them. They're still important in Becca's life. She loves them and they love her. But I think this bouncing around is hard on her. I think that's why she wakes up crying every night," said Johnny.

"Maybe. But who will watch her when we both have to work?"

"I've been giving that some thought," Johnny replied. "What do you think of this?"

Sharon leaned forward, intent on what Johnny had to say.

"Hold on," he said and took the pancakes off the stove. He had enough finished for breakfast. He took one that had cooled a bit and put a small amount of butter and some syrup on it, cut it up and then gave it to Becca. "There you go, Princess. Do you want some more milk?"

"Yessss." Becca answered.

"Yes _please_," corrected Sharon as Johnny took the sippy cup and refilled it.

"Yesss pease."

"That's my girl. Here you go." Johnny set the cup back on the table in front of the high chair. If Becca hadn't had a mouthful of pancake, she probably would have said thank you.

Johnny sat down at the table next to Sharon. "What do you think of this?" he asked again. "Roy and I were talking the other day and he said Joanne just seems worn out. She's trying to take care of two kids, a husband, keep up the house and she's pregnant. Roy said he was thinking of hiring someone to help her out, at least part time, but he was worried about the cost."

"Go on," said Sharon.

"Well, I'm kinda worried about hiring someone for Becca, or taking her to a daycare where she doesn't know anyone."

"Keep going, I'm not sure I'm following you yet," Sharon said.

"Well, Becca knows Joanne. And we _can_ afford to hire someone."

"Johnny, if Joanne's tired now, adding a toddler to the mix isn't going to make things any better for her," Sharon said.

"No, but a toddler AND a caregiver to help out with ALL the kids might help," replied Johnny.

"Honey, you're a genius! Roy and Jo would never take our help financially, but this way they're doing us a favor by taking Becca and we'd just return the favor by hiring the help! Do you think they'll go for it?"

"I think if Roy agrees, Jo will."

"Well, I think it's a great plan," Sharon said.

Sam was scrubbing the kitchen floor when she heard a loud "THUD" followed by the sound of Miss Millie, crying out in pain. She dropped the mop and ran for the living room where she had last seen the elderly woman knitting away on a sweater. When she ran through the doorway she found Miss Millie sprawled out on the floor, crying.

"Miss Millie!" Sam exclaimed, sizing up the scene as she spoke. "Where does it hurt?" Looking around the room she saw large ball of yarn on the floor by Miss Millie's feet and yarn was wrapped around her right ankle. Miss Millie was in too much pain to be able to speak coherently. Sam couldn't understand her response.

"Don't try to move. I'm going to take good care of you," Sam said. She took the yarn from around Miss Millie's ankle and threw it into the chair where the other end of the yarn was attached to the sweater that Miss Millie had been working on. Gently Sam started feeling and looking for injuries starting with the elderly woman's head and working her way down to her toes. "Did you hit your head?" she asked as she felt for bumps. She got a nod in response at about the same time that she found a lump that had already begun to form above the woman's right ear. There was no sign of bleeding at that point of injury.

Sam continued her triage. The woman was lying on her right side, making it difficult for Sam to fully check her out, but the obvious extreme pain she was in made Sam reluctant to roll her to her back without help. She worked her way down to the neck and shoulders, then both arms. She checked for injuries along her chest, ribs, and abdomen finding nothing remarkable, but when she got to Miss Millie's hips the woman nearly screamed in pain as Sam palpated the right one.

"I'm sorry. I know it hurts. I'm going to get you some help." Sam stepped away from her dear friend and picked up the phone off of the lamp table. She carried it the three feet back to Miss Millie, pulling on the cord and stretching it as far as it would go. She knelt back down beside her and dialed the number to the fire department dispatch center. When a voice on the other end answered Sam explained the situation, gave the address and requested a squad and an ambulance. Then she resumed her triage of Miss Millie but found nothing else remarkable. Respirations were a bit shallow and rapid and her pulse was 90. Sam wished she had a bp cuff and stethoscope but she did not so she could do nothing more for her until help arrived. She spoke soothingly to the woman and held her hand as she waited.

***Thanks for reading this chapter. I hope you like my sequel to "**_**When Times are Tough"**_** and "**_**Everything Changes"**_**. As always I would love and appreciate your constructive feedback. Merry Christmas everyone! -Hotflash**


	2. Chapter 2

**And Then There Were Three**

**Chapter Two**

Squad 36 arrived in minutes and Paramedics Steve Olson and Jim Bear took over care of Miss Millie. Sam told them about her findings and, after a quick follow up exam, Steve was on the biophone to Rampart while Bear and Sam took spinal precautions and packaged Miss Millie for transport. When the ambulance arrived, the two on-duty paramedics helped get Miss Millie situated inside while Sam called Mike and told him what was going on, asking him to meet her at the hospital. When she hung up, she ran out to the ambulance and convinced Bear to let her assist him on the way.

Doctor Varner met the ambulance at the hospital entrance. She immediately directed Sam to the waiting room and then directed Bear and the ambulance attendants to take Miss Millie to treatment room one. A portable X-ray was already waiting for them.

Sam was not happy to have been sent to the waiting room instead of staying with Miss Millie, but she knew it was protocol. She paced the room impatiently waiting for news of her dear friend. She didn't notice when Mike came jogging into the waiting room from the main entry hall. He went straight to her and put his arms around her, holding her close. His sudden presence surprised Sam but when Mike's arms came around her, she knew them, knew his scent and knew his strength would be her strength for as long as she needed it to be. Mike stood holding Sam and gently stroked her hair. After a moment of just taking in Mike's presence and allowing herself to relax a little in his arms, the tears silently started to fall. Sam pulled away from Mike enough that the two of them could find a place to sit down, and they did. She leaned into Mike's shoulder with Mike's arm around her and his other arm was crossed over his own body as he held her hand.

Nurse Dixie McCall soon came over to take down information for the required paperwork.

"Sam, I need some information from you. Do you know how to reach the family?"

"She doesn't have any family. Her husband passed years ago and they never had children."

"Do you know who we should contact regarding health care decisions? Is there any legal paperwork that you know of?" Dixie asked.

"There's just me. She said she had legal documents drawn up but I've never seen them."

"Do you know the name of her attorney?"

"Uh, Rannahan, I think… or something like that," answered Sam.

"Well, that's a good place to start. I'll call Mr. Rannahan and see if we can't track things down. Thanks for your help."

The two talked and filled out what they could of the paperwork together. Dixie did her best to reassure Sam that Miss Millie was in the best place she could be right now and that she would be well taken care of, and then went off to contact Mr. Rannahan.

Quite some time later, Dr. Varner came to speak with Sam.

"Ms. Anderson?" Doctor Varner started. Sam looked up and then stood up to speak with the doctor. "I am afraid I have some bad news. Your friend's right hip is broken. She's being admitted. I've given her something for the pain and she'll sleep now. You may as well go home. There's nothing else you can do for her right now."

"Thank you doctor. Will she recover fully?" Sam asked the hard question.

"It's very soon to tell. We'll have to wait and see but I think she stands a good chance."

Sam breathed a sigh of relief. "Does she know the whole situation?"

"Yes. We discussed her situation and that she's being admitted just before I gave her the pain meds."

"Good. May we see her?" Sam asked.

"It won't make any difference. She is already under strong painkillers. She is sleeping and won't know if you're there or not. Come back tomorrow." Doctor Varner answered in her usual no nonsense way. "Now, if you'll excuse me." She said as she turned and walked away.

Sam stood there feeling torn. Millie's doctor had told her to go home, but she hadn't seen for herself that Millie was okay. She didn't want to leave. Mike put his hand on her shoulder.

"Come on Sam. The doc is right. There is nothing we can do for her right now. They're going to keep her on pain meds and she'll only sleep. It's what's best for her right now." Sam would have put up a fight with anyone else, but she gave in to Mike's gentle urging and started to leave.

"Wait, I want to leave a message for her with Dixie." Sam and Mike walked over to Dixie's desk where they found her just ending a telephone conversation. Dixie looked up at them and smiled.

"Good news. That was Mr. Rannahan and he confirmed that Miss Millie Manning did indeed authorize you to make her healthcare decisions. You have both financial and medical power of attorney for her, it seems."

"That's good. Thank you for looking into it." Sam was most appreciative of Dixie's efforts.

"That's my job." Dixie winked at her. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Mike and Doctor Varner have convinced me to leave here, but I wanted to make sure that if Miss Millie wakes up she'll know I'll be back to see her."

"I'll tell her myself. I promise." Dixie reassured her.

"Okay, and call me right away if anything changes. Oh, let me give you the numbers you'll most likely

be able to reach me at." She gave Dixie Miss Millie's home phone number, Mike's phone number and the number to her private line in her upstairs living quarters. "More than likely you'll reach me at one of the first two numbers."

"Try not to worry, Sam. We'll take good care of her and I promise we'll call you if there is any change.

"Thank you Dixie," Sam said as she and Mike turned to leave.

Joanne was reading a book while sitting on the couch with her feet up. She hadn't realized how tired she was until she awoke from dozing when her book hit the floor. She awoke with a small start. She smiled when she realized that Katie had curled up on the couch and gone to sleep using her mother's stomach for a pillow. Jo put her hand on Katie's shoulder, waking her gently.

"Katie, honey. Mommy has to get up." Gently she shook her daughter until sleepy eyes opened and looked up at her.

"Mommy? What's the matter?" Katie asked.

"Nothing's wrong, Sweetie, I just need to get up. I dropped my book and I have to the bathroom."

"Oh. How come your tummy is wiggly?"

Joanne raised an eyebrow at Katie. "What do you mean?"

"When you were sleeping I put my head on your tummy and it felt like snakes were in there."

Joanne laughed out loud. "There aren't any snakes in my tummy, Katie. Now get up. I really have to go!" Katie moved so her mother could escape. When Jo was finished in the bathroom she went searching for Roy. She found him in the garage, under the car changing the oil.

Hearing his wife's approaching footsteps, Roy rolled out from under the car. "Well Hi there," he said.

"Hi yourself. I… I uh, think it's time to sit down with the kids. They've both commented about my growing belly and Katie just told me it felt like there were snakes in there!"

"You're feeling the baby move?" Roy asked with excitement in his voice.

"Well, a few times I've thought maybe I felt something, but I was asleep and Katie had her head on my stomach. I guess there was some pretty good movement going on then, but I didn't feel it."

Roy wanted to feel for himself. He had loved feeling Chris and Katie kicking around when Jo was pregnant with them. Being able to feel the baby made it more real to him. He looked at his hands, covered in oil. It would have to wait. "Well, why don't we tell them at dinner tonight?" Roy suggested.

"Okay. Let's do that. I'm pretty sure Chris already knows."

That night at dinner Roy said grace and then dished up spaghetti for each of his kids and his wife before dishing up his own. Joanne had green beans in front of her so everyone passed their plates her way for their veggies. Plates were put in front of everyone and bread was passed around the table. Conversation at the table was the usual, "how was your day?" kind of talk. Then, after a while Chris looked right at his mother and said, "Mom, where do babies really come from?"

Roy choked on the milk he was drinking when Chris asked the question. Joanne started to turn red in the face.

"Yeah, where _do_ babies come from?" repeated Katie.

Roy stopped choking and said to Chris, "Well, see it's funny you should ask that just now. Why do you want to know?"

"Because I heard Jimmy's parents talking when I was over there last night for cub scouts. They said something about Mom having a baby and I said that she didn't get a baby. They said that she had one in her stomach. How does a baby get in there and how does it get out?"

**Thanks for reading my story. Please leave me a comment or two. I really appreciate it. -Hotflash**


	3. Chapter 3

**And Then There Were Three**

**Chapter Three**

"Well, Chris… I… I'm glad you asked that," Roy said, stalling while he quickly tried to think of how to answer. "Uh, when two people… a husband and a wife, I mean… when they love each other… sometimes they want to… to be close to each other… " Roy was begging Joanne with his eyes to help him out.

"Like when you and Mom cuddle together in the recliner chair and watch television?" Chris asked.

"Well, kind of like that, Chris. Except the cuddling is even closer." Joanne tried to help her husband out. "The husband and wife have to be as close to each other as possible so they have to be naked."

"Ewww… Gross!" Christopher and Katie said at the same time, shocked that their mother would say such a thing.

"You're right, kids. It _is_ gross! " Roy surprised Joanne with his words. "Unless you love each other _and _you're married, it _is_ gross to cuddle naked." Joanne smiled. Now she knew where he was going with this.

"But how does that get a baby in there?" Katie asked.

"Well, sweetie, you see, wives have special parts inside their bodies that make eggs…"

"Like the eggs we eat for breakfast?" Katie asked, horrified.

"No, not like that. Those are chicken eggs. Remember when we went to the farm and we helped collect eggs?" Joanne said.

"Oh, yeah. That was fun."

"These are special eggs that make people. And only girls have them."

"I'm glad _I'm_ not a girl!" stated Chris.

"Well husbands have special things inside their bodies too, called sperm. Only boys have them." Roy informed his son. Chris started to squirm a little in his seat.

"Eeeww! Boy's got germs!" Katie exclaimed.

"No, not germs, sperm." Roy said.

What's a sperm? It sounds yucky!" Katie wrinkled up her nose when she said it.

"It's like seeds. The husband's seed has to fertilize the wife's egg. If it does a baby can grow. If it doesn't, the wife's egg will just kind of disappear." Joanne explained as simply as possible.

"Well, how does the man's seed flirtle the lady's egg?" asked Chris.

Roy laughed. "Fertilize, not flirtle. When the husband and wife get naked and cuddle very close sometimes the husband's sperm kind of sneaks over and fertilizes the wife's egg."

"I still don't get it. How does the sperm get into the lady to flirt… fertize…" Chris couldn't quite get the word.

"Fertilize…" Joanne helped him out.

"…Fertilize the egg?"

_Why couldn't he just take the simple answers_, Joanne wondered? "It just happens from the cuddling. When husbands and wives cuddle naked sometimes their bodies rub together and the rubbing makes the sperm fertilize the egg." Joanne and Roy both held their breath hoping that would satisfy the children's curiosity until they were older.

Chris looked like he was going to ask more questions but Katie spoke up first. "Okay. If the seed flirts with the egg then a baby grows. But how does the baby get out?"

Roy looked to Joanne. He didn't want to explain that part. Joanne was doing just fine; he'd let her keep at it. Joanne rolled her eyes at her husband.

"After the egg is fertilized, the baby starts to grow and it has to stay inside the mommy to keep the baby safe and warm until it is big enough to come out. When that happens, the mommy usually gets a big tummy ache. That's how she knows it's time for the baby to come out. Then she has to lie down and a doctor helps her get the baby out."

"But what if the mommy isn't at a hospital?" Chris asked.

"That can happen sometimes. Then people like your Uncle Johnny and I have to help. That's one of the things paramedics do," explained Roy.

"Have you helped lots of babies come out, Daddy?" Katie asked.

"Yeah, I've helped quite a few, I guess."

"But where do they come out from? Do you have to cut the mommy open?" Chris asked.

"No, not most of the time. And only a doctor could do it that way. Usually it's a lot easier than that," Roy answered.

"How then?" Katie pressed.

"Katie, remember the farm? Remember when the farmer lady showed you where chicken eggs came from?"

"Yes. I remember. They came from a hole in the chicken's bottom!" Katie giggled when she said it.

"Mommies have a hole kind of like that too. And that's how the baby gets out," explained her mother.

"But eggs are little, babies are a lot bigger. How does that work?" Chris was fascinated and creeped out at the same time, but he really wanted to know.

"When the mommy gets that big tummy ache your mom told you about…" said Roy. "That is because the muscles inside her are trying to squeeze and help push the baby out. The mommy's baby hole stretches a lot, kind of like a rubber band. When the muscles squeeze it pushes the baby out of the mommy and it comes out through the hole."

"Doesn't that hurt the baby and the mommy?" Katie was worried about it now.

"Katie, it does kind of hurt for a mommy to have a baby but the mommy is so happy when the baby is ready to come out that she sort of doesn't think about the hurting part. And then when the baby finally is there and the mommy can see it and knows it is safe, God helps the mommy forget about how much it hurt. And it doesn't hurt the baby. It squeezes the baby very tight, but it doesn't hurt it."

"Thanks Mom and Dad for telling us the truth about where babies come from. I knew you didn't find them in the garden like Bobby's dad said, 'cause I've looked and I've never found one there."

"Me either!" Katie added.

Roy and Joanne exchanged amused glances and both breathed a deep sigh of relief that they had survived "The Talk." Then Roy got up and got himself a beer to chase his dinner down and sat back down at the table.

"Daddy?" started Katie, ready to talk about something else.

"Yes, Katie?" Roy answered as he watched her stab a green bean with her fork

"I think after dinner you should be a paramedic for mommy."

Roy looked at his daughter quizzically. "Is there something the matter with your mother?" he asked.

"It feels like Mommy gots snakes in her tummy!"

"Mommy doesn't have snakes in her tummy!" Joanne assured her daughter.

"I felt 'em when you were sleeping!"

"It wasn't snakes you felt in Mom's tummy," Roy said.

"Then what was it?"

"You wanna tell them?" asked Roy, looking at his wife.

"You go right ahead, Love." Joanne answered back.

"Yeah, tell us Dad." Chris was curious just what his father would say.

"Well kids, you're both going to have a brother or a sister pretty soon. Your Mom is going to have a baby."

"There's a baby in there right now?" asked Chris.

"Yes," acknowledged Joanne.

"But the snakes will eat it!" shrieked Katie and she started to cry.

Joanne reached across to her daughter and put her arm around her. "No, no Baby. There aren't any snakes in there. What you felt was the baby kicking Mommy. There's nothing in there but the baby."

Katie looked at her Daddy for reassurance. "Really?"

Roy shook his head. "It's true. The only thing that you felt moving inside of Mom was the baby."

"Why does the baby kick her? That's not nice." Katie proclaimed.

"The baby doesn't mean to kick me, Honey. And it doesn't hurt. It kind of tickles. The baby is growing in there and it is in a little tiny space. When the baby gets tired of being all curled up in a ball, it kind of stretches out and pushes on my belly from the inside trying to make some more room in there. That's when it kind of kicks."

"It doesn't hurt, Mommy?" asked Katie, wanting reassurance.

"Nope. You wanna feel it? The baby is moving around right now."

"I want to feel it!" Chris said jumping up from his chair and going to his mother's side. Joanne scooted her chair out and put both of her children's hands on her belly with her hands over the top of theirs.

"I don't feel anything!" Katie said, disappointedly.

"Wait for it. You will." Joanne told her.

"Hey! I felt something!" Chris was excited. "I felt your baby!"

"Me too!" exclaimed Katie. "Be nice to Mommy. She's a nice Mommy." Katie said to the baby.

"Okay you two, finish your green beans now," Joanne told them. Reluctantly the two children returned to their seats. The rest of dinner was spent talking about Chris wanting a brother and Katie wanting a sister. While the kids bantered away about it, Joanne looked across the table at her husband. He looked like he had just come home from a hard shift at the firehouse. The birds and the bees talk had been difficult for him, obviously. But, he'd survived it. Joanne got up and went to the refrigerator. She took out another beer and set it in front of her husband.

"It looks like you could use this," she said, bending down to kiss him on the forehead.

"Thanks. I can," He said. "I love you." Joanne smiled at him and started clearing the dishes.

Johnny walked into the day room at the beginning of the shift to make sure there was good coffee available. He hated it when Chet made the coffee. Seeing that the coffee pot was full he asked the C shift guys who made it.

"I did, is that a problem Gage?" said the captain.

"No sir. Not a problem at all. I've heard it said you make the best coffee in all of the LA County Fire Department."

"You lie a lot, Gage" commented the captain with a grin.

Johnny flashed a grin back the captain's direction, poured himself a cup, sipped it and made a point of acting like he enjoyed it immensely. "Aaaahhhh!' he said after swallowing a sip of the bitter brew that needed a k-12 to cut it. "Great coffee, Cap!" he said. He turned and took his cup with him as he stepped back into the apparatus bay. He walked back into the day room a few minutes later with a large arrangement of flowers in one arm.

"Gage, what the devil have you got there?" demanded Captain Burns.

"Flowers, sir."

The captain rolled his eyes, annoyed with Gage's obvious answer. "Where the heck did you get them and who are they for?"

"They were just outside the door to the station, Cap. And I don't know who they're for. I didn't read the card."

"Well what's it say?" asked Mike Linker, the engineer.

"I don't know, look for yourself!" Johnny stepped away from the flowers as he set them on the table. All the men in the room jumped up trying to get to the card first. When JJ Merker reached it first Captain Burns made a loud point of clearing his throat and the men all stepped back to let him read the card. He read it out loud.

"To the sexiest fireman at Station 51."

All the men stepped towards the flowers. "That's me!" they all said, or something similar indicating that they each believed that they fit that bill.

"Ah ah! I wasn't finished," scolded Captain Burns. "To the sexiest fireman at Station 51. I love you… _Chet Kelly_?"

"You gotta be kidding me!" Marco Lopez expressed disbelief announcing his presence. "Someone sent flowers to Chet with a mushy card?"

"Looks that way." Johnny shook his head. "I don't believe it."

"Who are they from?" asked Marco.

"It doesn't say on the card. The hand writing is pretty flowery though," Captain Burns observed.

Captain Stanley poked his head in the day room. "Hey guys, aren't you ready to go home?" he said to the C-shift crew. "John, Marco? Roll call in five minutes." John raced back out to change into his uniform as the crew being relieved filed out to head home.

***Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you have suggestions or questions or if you find a blooper, please let me know. I appreciate any and all feedback respectfully submitted. =) -Hotflash**


	4. Chapter 4

**And Then There Were Three**

**Chapter 4**

Big Red and the squad sat gleaming on the apron with the sun shining brightly upon them. They had just been freshly scrubbed and while they dried, Chet Kelly and Marco Lopez were hard at work scrubbing the bay floor. Chet looked out onto the apron and saw a woman standing there, camera in hand, taking pictures of Big Red.

The woman was tall, maybe 5'10" with a medium build and flaming red curly hair, pulled back in a large barrette at the back of her head and her bangs were neatly trimmed at eyebrow level. Some of the hair on the sides had fallen out of the barrette and was hanging in whisps around her lightly freckled, heart shaped face. She had a smallish pointed nose and soft full lips. Her make up was understated in soft, natural tones and not overly noticeable.

Chet set down his mop, puffed out his chest a little and walked out to greet her.

"She's a real beauty isn't she?" he said to her.

"Oh, hi." Said the woman, blushing. "I hope you don't mind I'm taking pictures of your equipment." Her voice had a slight soft Irish lilt to it and the sound of it gave Chet butterflies, though he'd never admit it.

_You can take pictures of __**my**__ equipment __**any**__ time_, he thought to himself. "No, not at all. What are the pictures for?" he asked, noticing how striking her kelly green eyes were.

The woman blushed a little as she answered. "Uh, nothing in particular. I just… I just like taking pictures of fire stations and equipment." _And firefighters!_ She didn't say it but she thought it.

"Well, you won't find a finer rig than Big Red here. She's one sweet piece of machinery." Chet gave her his best smile. He held out his hand. "Firefighter Chet Kelly," he introduced himself.

Marco walked out to see where his partner had disappeared to. He couldn't help but grin when he saw the woman.

"Susan Peters," she said shaking Chet's hand. Marco stuck his hand out and introduced himself.

"I'm Marco," he said. She smiled at him. "Firefighter Marco Lopez."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you." Susan looked fairly at ease. "Would you mind if I took your picture?" she asked them both. If it were possible, Chet puffed up a little more before answering.

"Well, of course… Anything for a fine citizen of LA County… What kind of picture were you after?"

"Maybe you could both kind of act like you're polishing the truck."

"Engine. This baby's an engine. It pumps water. The truck has the ladders. Of course, we have ladders on the engine too, but the truck doesn't pump," Chet explained.

"Rrright." Said Susan, rather hesitantly. She didn't know there was a difference. "So just act like you're polishing the uh… engine, would you?" Marco reached into a compartment and pulled out a couple of rags, tossing one to Chet. The two of them stood near each other sort of facing each other and started polishing the side of Big Red.

"Over here," said Susan and the two firemen sort of looked over their shoulders back at her as she snapped the picture. Chet and Marco were eating up the attention. They continued posing for pictures as Susan happily snapped away. They were so involved that they didn't notice their captain approach them.

"Hello there," he said, interrupting the woman at the camera. She lowered the camera and faced the man speaking to her.

"Oh, hello there. These two firemen said it would be okay if I took a few shots while they worked," she explained.

"Fine. Fine. I don't see any harm in that. I'm Captain Stanley." He offered his hand. Susan reached out and shook it.

"I'm Susan, amateur photographer."

Hank looked at his men and at the unfinished apparatus bay floor then back to his men. Marco saw the look on his captain's face.

"Uh, we'll finish that right up, Cap," he said heading for the mop he had left behind.

"Yeah, we'll be finished in no time," Chet added.

"Miss…" Started Captain Stanley.

"Peters. Susan Peters."

"Miss Peters, would you like to come in for a cup of coffee? My men will finish up and then perhaps you'd like a tour of the station."

"That would be nice. Thank you for asking me." Susan gladly accepted Captain Stanley's invitation.

"Just one thing, if we get a call, you'll have to see yourself out."

"Yes, of course."

Hank led Miss Peters through the main entrance to the station to avoid the apparatus bay floor. "Fellas, this is Miss Peters. She'll be joining us for coffee and then Marco and Chet are going to give her a tour of the station. Roy, you can help out and show her the squad if she's interested."

"Sure, Cap. Hello Miss Peters. I'm Roy DeSoto. These are my partners, John Gage and Sam Anderson." Roy shook her hand and after she shook hands with Johnny and Sam, Roy held a chair out for her while Sam poured her a cup of coffee. A moment later Mike walked in having finished making beds in the dorm.

"Hey, Sam? Do you…" he started and then stopped when he saw their guest.

"Mike, this is Miss Peters. She's here for a tour. She's been taking pictures of your beloved engine." Sam filled him in then turned back to the stove where she was cooking crumbled burger for taco salads.

"Nice to meet you. Mike Stoker. So, you like fire engines?"

"Engines, trucks, squads. They're all beautiful to me." _And firemen, _she didn't add.

"What are the pictures for?" he asked.

"Well, it's kind of just a hobby of mine. Photography I mean. I just started and I thought, what better to use as a subject than shiny red fire engines?" Susan explained. She looked around at each of the firemen in the room to see their response. Cap shrugged and the others nodded in agreement just for the sake of being agreeable.

"Would you like to take a closer look?" Mike asked. He was always eager to show Big Red.

"Yes. I would, but only if it isn't any trouble," she answered.

"Not at all. Come with me." Mike led her back the way she had come in and walked across the apron in front of the squad over to the Engine. The rest of the crew, except Sam who was still cooking, followed. Mike opened the driver's door and invited her to climb up inside. He stood on one of the steps used for climbing in and pointed out where the radio and light controls were and other things most civilians found to be interesting. He pointed out the cord to the air horn and encouraged her to give it a pull. The loud "blaaaat" that followed startled her and gave everyone a good laugh. About that time Chet and Marco had finished their chore and Chet climbed up into the passenger seat next to Susan.

"Hi. Having fun?" he asked her. Her smile spoke volumes. "Where do _you_ ride?" she asked him.

"Climb out and I'll show you," Chet said. He was hoping to get her attention back now that he wasn't otherwise occupied. After all, he saw her first.

As she started to get out she accidentally stepped on the floor button for the q-siren. She didn't know what she had done to start the siren and looked quite panicked about it. Mike had already hopped down and Chet, having run around the front of the engine, was first to get to her and show her what had caused the noise. Then he offered her assistance in getting down and she gladly accepted. Susan had no sooner stepped down from the engine than the Klaxon's sounded. Chet's smile turned to a frown as he looked her in the eye and placed his hands on her shoulders to move her safely out of the way.

"Sorry, but… we gotta go!" Now he was all business and he grabbed his gear out of the jump seat and began putting it on as Captain Stanley jogged over to the mic to acknowledge the call and take down the necessary information. Before Susan had time to say anything the firefighters were in the rigs and pulling out leaving her all alone at an empty fire station.

Not quite sure what else to do Susan walked back into the day room. _Should I leave? Should I wait for them? _She really didn't know. She looked around and saw that the meat Sam had been cooking was sitting on the stove, burner turned off. A large head of lettuce, several tomatoes, onions and a can of olives were on the counter. _Taco salads_, she thought.

Susan decided to wait for the firemen and while she waited she thought she might as well make herself useful.

It had been nearly two weeks since Miss Millie had taken her fall and had surgery on her hip. It was a beautiful day and from the window in her room she could see blue sky and fluffy white clouds as she ate her lunch in her hospital bed. She longed to be outside soaking up the sunshine.

"Good morning, Mrs. Manning. How are you feeling today?" asked Dr. Varner as she entered her patient's room.

"I'm fine, thank you. I just wish I could get back to living my life and enjoying the sunshine."

"I understand. It will be a while before you're well enough to go home. You're doing much too well to stick around here though. It is time to move you to a nursing home where they can help you continue to get better."

"I don't want to go. I just want to go home." Miss Millie frowned. She was done with this whole thing as far as she was concerned.

"Mrs. Manning, I know you'd rather be home. But you're just not ready for it yet. You need to be cared for and you need physical therapy. The safest and most efficient way to ensure that is in a nursing home. I've recommended the best one to Miss Anderson and she has informed me that she has secured you a place at Rose Park. It really is a very nice facility."

"How long will I have to stay?"

"That's hard to say for sure… A month or maybe two. It just depends on how your recovery goes. The orthopedic specialist you've been seeing, Dr. Waters, will be overseeing your care when you leave here. She will get you home as soon as she can," assured Dr. Varner.

Just then a familiar face came through the door along with two others following closely behind her, all in dark blue pants and light blue shirts. Sam smiled brightly at her dear friend who was more like a grandmother to her.

"Good morning Miss Millie."

Millie smiled back, happy to see Sam and the two paramedics who followed her in. "Good morning Sam… Boys." She nodded to Roy and Johnny who both put up a hand and gave a little wave.

"Ma'am." Said Roy in acknowledgement. "How are you feeling?"

"Fine, thank you, young man. I want to go home now." Roy could understand her feeling that way. He felt sorry that she could not go home. He was aware of how frustrating it was to depend on others to take care of one's self and how important familiar surroundings could be to a recovery like hers.

"I'm sure the doctors are doing everything they can to help you get there. It's just going to take a little work is all," Roy tried to reassure her.

"They're sending me to a home." Miss Millie said it with a hint of grumpiness in her voice.

"Now, Miss Millie, it's only until you're strong enough to be at home. Nobody wants to keep you from your home. You know that." Johnny was trying to be the voice of reason for her.

"He's right, Mrs. Manning. You'll be home before you know it." Dr. Varner encouraged her, then excused herself and left to continue her rounds.

Sam moved closer and offered the elderly woman a hug. "It will be okay. You know Mike and I will come see you as often as we can and Rose Park is the nicest one available. You can even afford a private room."

As Sam tried to convince Miss Millie that her move wouldn't be so bad John and Roy excused themselves to restock supplies telling Sam they'd meet her at the squad in a few minutes. They gave her the handy talkie so she'd know if they had a call.

An hour and a half after they had pulled out of the station leaving their guest to "see herself out" four hungry firemen arrived in Big Red. With Chet spotting him, Mike backed her into the bay. When the four of them walked into the day room they were greeted by a table set for seven, a fresh pot of coffee, a clean kitchen and a note. Hank picked it up and read it out loud.

"_Dear Firemen,_

_Thank for your generous hospitality. I am sorry that I missed out on the complete tour when you had to leave, perhaps another time will work out. I hope you don't mind that I've taken the liberty to finish preparing the lunch that was in progress. The taco meat is in the warmer oven and the salad makings are covered in the refrigerator. There is fresh coffee in the pot –at least, I hope it is fresh. I guess that depends on how long you were out. Have a good lunch._

_Susan Peters_

_P.S. Fireman Kelly, thanks for explaining the difference between the fire truck and the fire engine. I won't forget"_

As Hank read the postscript to the letter, Chet puffed his chest out again and a very happy smile filled his face.

***Thanks for reading and please click the button below to leave me a review. As always, your comments, suggestions and the pointing out of bloopers are always appreciated. Have a safe New Year Holiday! -Hotflash**


	5. Chapter 5

**And Then There Were Three**

**Chapter 5**

*Thanks for waiting for this chapter. I was out at my brother's fire station playing over the New Year's Holiday. I hope you enjoy the chapter

.

When Roy arrived home after his shift he found the kids watching television and the remnants of breakfast on the table.

"Hi kids, where's your mom?" he asked.

"She told us we needed to entertain ourselves this morning and not make a mess," explained Chris.

"I see. Well, that means that you two probably ought to clear your breakfast dishes and put the milk and juice away, don't you think?"

"Oh, yeah," said Chris.

"Sorry Daddy," said Katie.

"You can go back to the television after you've cleaned up. I'm going to go find Mom."

Roy searched the house and found Joanne in bed, awake but trying to sleep. When he stepped into the room she opened her eyes and smiled.

"Hi Honey. How was your shift?"

"Fine. Nothing too exciting. Are you feeling all right?"

"I'm fine, Sweetheart. I just felt like resting and the kids are fine so I thought, why not?"

Roy stripped down to his undershirt and boxers and slipped under the covers with his wife. He reached for her and she snuggled into his arms. "How's the little guy?"

"Maybe it's a girl," Joanne said.

"Maybe, but how is the baby doing?" Roy asked. "Any moving around going on right now?" He had hoped to feel the baby moving since he hadn't been able to when she first told him about it.

"No, but if we poke around in there I bet we could get a few kicks." Joanne started pushing on various parts of her belly trying to get a reaction from the baby. After a minute she stopped and took Roy's free left hand and placed it on her belly with her hand on top of his.

"Not much movement yet, just prod my belly," Joanne suggested. Roy poked gently around.

"Push harder. You're not going to break us." Roy pushed in deeper then stretched his hand across her belly again.

"There!" Joanne felt the baby move. She guided Roy's hand to the right spot and when his hand was in the right position, for the first time he felt his third child move. It was a slight feeling of movement but he felt it just the same. A big smile crossed his face.

"Oh," he exclaimed. "I felt it. I love feeling our baby move."

"So do I. That is something I always miss when the baby comes, the feeling of having one inside me. It's an amazing thing." Joanne sighed contentedly.

"It is amazing. You are amazing, Annie. I love you."

"I love you too." Joanne rubbed the top of Roy's hand as it rested on her belly, and up and down his forearm affectionately. Before long, Roy drifted off to sleep, as was usual for him after a shift. Joanne succumbed to sleep soon after, happy and content in her husband's arms. About an hour and a half later there was a soft knock on their door.

"Come in", said Roy sleepily.

Katie came in intending to ask if she and her mom could make cookies, but seeing her parents snuggled together, she just climbed up on the bed and crawled in next to her Daddy. Roy put his arm around her, pulling her up close to his body and then used his arm to protect her from the edge of the bed. Katie put her head on head on Roy's shoulder. _Just like Mommy,_ she thought. Joanne reached across Roy and put her hand on Katie's arm. She felt her baby move and moved Katie's hand to feel it too, stretching the little girl's arm all the way across her daddy and barely reaching the right spot on Joanne's belly.

"Be nice baby. Don't hurt our mommy." Katie said it quietly. She sounded so truly concerned. Joanne gave her hand a little squeeze of reassurance and Roy hugged her a little closer too.

"You know Katie, it really doesn't hurt Mom when the baby kicks. And it is good for the baby to be kicking. It helps us all know that the baby is happy and safe in there." Roy wanted to reassure her once and for all about that.

"Is that really the truth Mommy?" she asked. It wasn't that she didn't trust him she just wanted to hear it from her Mom.

"Yes. And feeling the baby kick is a special part of having a baby. I like it."

"Me too," decided Katie. If Mom and Dad were happy with it, so would she be.

That morning when Chet had gotten off shift he had found an envelope on the seat of his car. He had left the window down part way and somebody had just slipped it through the inch wide opening. As he got into the car he picked the envelope up. After getting in and closing the door, he looked to see if anyone was watching and when he was sure they were not, he put it up to his nose and smelled it. It just smelled like paper to him. He looked around to check once more if any of the guys were lurking and, not seeing anyone, he decided to open it. Inside was a short note on a pretty card.

"Hi. If you're reading this you must have found it where I left it. I just wanted to tell you that I think you are a very handsome fireman. I hope you liked the flowers. I know guys don't usually get flowers but you enjoy beautiful things, don't you? Take care. –A secret admirer."

Chet read it over three times, wondering where it might have come from. He thought it might be a prank. He and Johnny were always trying to get each other's goat and he knew he was about due for a big one from his favorite pigeon; overdue, really. It had been a very long time since Johnny had pulled a good one on him. He actually kind of missed the pranks but he would never have admitted it. Johnny had been somewhat pre-occupied now that he had become a family man. Chet was kind of envious of that. He was truly happy for Johnny but he longed for the same for himself.

Thinking about it, Chet realized he had been getting little notes and surprises for several months. At first it was just an occasional thing like a card in his locker or a plate of cookies with a note dropped off at the station left in a bag in front of the door to the public entrance when the house was empty. But it had picked up considerably and now he found little surprises at every shift. Although a prank seemed highly probable Chet didn't think that any of the guys would be likely to have kept it up this long without taking it to silly proportions like putting the CPR mannequin in his bunk or something else along those lines. It just didn't seem to fit the natural progression of a firehouse prankster.

Chet hadn't realized how long he had sat there pondering things until the B-shift Captain came out to ask him if everything was all right. Chet mumbled something about being tired and said he must have just spaced out or dozed off or something. He assured the captain that he would be fine and started his engine, then headed for home.

When Johnny got home that morning, he and Sharon got Becca ready to go then headed for Tania's home. It was a little after ten when they arrived. Becca was excited to see her aunt when she opened the door.

"Aunt Tani!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Tania. Sharon, Johnny and Tania all laughed. Tania reached down and scooped the toddler up, holding her close for a big hug. When the hug was over she carried Becca inside with her as Johnny and Sharon followed. They went into the living room and the adults sat as Tania encouraged Becca to go find her toys.

"So, I bet I know what this is about," said Tania.

Sharon looked at her, trying to read her face. Tania had been a wonderful caregiver for Becca and a wonderful friend and mentor to Sharon. She knew it was hard for Tania to be sharing Becca when she had raised her as she would have her own. "Aunt Tania, I… I want to thank you for all you have done for Becca and me, but… I think… we think it is time to stop bouncing Becca back and forth between us." Johnny squeezed her hand as she said the words to Tania, offering her silent support and reassurance. Tania nodded her head once and kept eye contact with Sharon, waiting for her to continue.

"Of course we will still want to arrange visits, but we just feel it is hard on Becca to keep doing this. She still wakes up in the middle of the night crying. It's like she has a hard time remembering who is around and where she is."

Johnny added, "We thought maybe that if she is consistently home at night, she might settle in better and feel a little more secure."

"I think you're right. It is hard for her. And I think you have established a strong family bond between the three of you over the last several months. I agree that it would be best for Becca. What will you do when you are both working?"

Before they could answer, Becca toddled back in and put her hands on her hips. "My Ambo go?" she asked.

"Amber is in her room, sleeping. You can go get her. Go knock on her door," her aunt answered.

"Kay!" exclaimed Becca as she ran out of the room to find her Amber.

Sharon answered Tania's question. "Johnny and I have talked about hiring a caregiver to watch Becca. We want it to be someone she already knows so it will be easier. We were thinking of asking Johnny's partner's wife to do it. She has two kids already and she is a stay at home mom. We've spent a lot of time with their family and Becca likes them a lot."

"And do you think she would do it?" asked Tania.

"Well, Joanne is pregnant. We thought Becca might be too much for her on top of everything else so we have another plan too. We don't want to take Becca to anyone else if we can help it because we want her to be comfortable. We thought maybe we could hire a caregiver to help Joanne with Becca and her own two kids. That way, Joanne would be around, and Becca is comfortable with her already, but she would not have to do all the work. She could take it easy and direct if she wanted too. I just don't know how she and Roy are going to react when we make the suggestion."

"It sounds like a great idea to me. I don't see why Roy and Joanne would say no. It's good for everyone." Tania really liked the idea and was glad that Sharon and Johnny were thinking about what would make Becca the most comfortable and not just at what would be convenient for them.

"Well, we hope Roy and Joanne will think so too." Johnny sounded a little bit concerned but Tania wasn't concerned at all.

Suddenly a fit of giggles was heard along with the sound of rapidly moving toddler feet, followed by bigger feet as Amber chased Becca into the room, caught her and then spun her around in her arms, holding her close to her own body. The antics brought smiles to all the adult faces, but when they had settled down a bit, Tania spoke to Amber.

"Amber, you are teaching Becca bad habits, running in the house! Remember, she will do what you do." She said it kindly not showing any sign of irritation.

"Sorry. I was just so excited to see her."

"Do you ladies have plans?" asked Johnny.

"No, not really," said Tania.

"Well, I was thinking we could all go to a park and have a picnic lunch. Are you up for that?"

"Sounds great to me," said Tania, " What do you think?" She asked Amber.

"Do I have time to shower?" She was still in pajamas, having slept in so late.

Tania nodded. Johnny took Becca and walked her outside to the back yard to play while Amber went to take her shower and Sharon helped Tania pack a picnic lunch.

When it was just Tania and Sharon in the kitchen Tania asked her, "How are things with you and Johnny?"

"Great! I love him so much and he is so good with Becca."

"That's good. Any word on when the adoption might be final?"

Sharon looked around to make sure she wouldn't be overheard. "Johnny doesn't know this but we have a court appointment at 9:00 a.m. on the 24th to finalize everything. Johnny gets Becca for Christmas!"

*Thanks for reading and please take a moment to leave me a review. Sometimes your reviews inspire my best ideas. Oh, and it helps me out if you sign in first so I can comment or answer questions and thank you for your comments. Thanks =) -Hotflash.


	6. Chapter 6

And Then There Were Three

Chapter 6

*Sorry this chapter has taken so long to be posted. Real life and major writer's block have been heavily responsible for the delay. Hopefully you will feel that your patience has been rewarded by length of this chapter! Happy reading!

…_Fall on your knees Oh hear the angel voices_

_Oh night divine, oh night, when Christ was born_

Oh night divine oh holy night, oh night divine!

Sam's voice was clear and strong and sweeter than any medicine Miss Millie could have been given by the doctors. When she finished the last note Mike and Miss Millie both clapped their hands in appreciation. Sam felt a little self-conscious, but it was Millie's favorite song and it was such a small thing to do to cheer her up.

"Your voice is amazing!" Mike exclaimed, moved almost beyond words.

"Oh, thank you, Sam. Thank you for cheering an old woman up." Miss Millie was very appreciative. "Sing another, please."

Sam thought for a moment, trying to think of what she should sing then finally came up with something.

… _It came upon a midnight clear,  
that glorious song of old,  
from angels bending near the earth  
to touch their harps of gold:  
"Peace on the earth, and good will toward men,  
from heaven's all-gracious King."  
The world in solemn stillness lay,  
to hear the angels sing._

To Sam and Millie's delight, Mike joined in with a rich tenor voice and the two found a comfortable harmony together. When the song was over, Miss Millie had a sad smile on her face and Sam noticed a tear slide down her cheek.

"Miss Millie, what's wrong?" she asked, alarmed. "We didn't mean to make you sad, we wanted to cheer you."

"Oh Dearies, you didn't make me sad. That was just so beautiful. I remember when my husband and I used to sing carols together. You two just now reminded me so much of us then."

Just then a nurse walked into the room. "You three are putting on quite the show. I haven't heard such peace and quiet from the peanut gallery since I don't remember when."

"What do you mean?" asked Sam.

"Your singing. It has lulled the other residents into a peaceful bliss. They all turned down their televisions and stopped talking to listen. You hear that?"

"I don't hear anything," Mike said.

"Exactly!" She turned to Miss Millie. "Okay, Miss Millie. It's time for me to check your vitals. How are you feeling right now?" She reached for the BP cuff as she listened to Millie's answer.

"I'm fine. I feel just fine and I'd like to go home for Christmas."

"Oh, Sweetie, I know you would. But you know that isn't going to happen. You have to get stronger so you don't take another tumble. Once I send you home, I don't want to see you come back! I mean, I like you and all, but we are not looking for repeat customers in this place. You hear what I'm saying?" She wrapped her cuff around Miss Millie's arm as she spoke. When Miss Millie nodded that she understood she began to pump the bulb squeezing the cuff around Millie's arm. She listened intently through her stethoscope and let the air out of the cuff. As she unwrapped the cuff she smiled. "120/80. Perfect. That's what we like to see."

Gina checked Millie's pulse then counted respirations and noted her findings.

"Has the physical therapist been in to see you yet?" she asked.

"No, not today. I think she said she was coming after lunch today," Millie was trying to remember what she had been told.

"Okay then, I guess you'll see her a little later. Do you need anything?"

"Just to go home, Child," Miss Millie answered stubbornly.

Gina shook her head, smiling. "I'll be back to check on you a little later." With that she turned and headed out to check in on her next patient.

Mike looked thoughtfully at Millie. "They certainly seem to be taking good care of you here, Miss Millie," he said.

"I suppose they are, but I'd still rather be home." Sam patted Millie's hand reassuringly as she glanced up at the clock on the wall.

"Miss Millie, we have to be going now. You behave yourself and don't give the physical therapist a hard time. I'll call and check on you later."

"I'll be good, I promise," said Miss Millie. Sam stood then bent down to give Miss Millie a hug. Mike took Millie's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"Take care, Miss Millie," he said.

"Goodbye dearies," Miss Millie called after them as they left the room. As soon as they left, she reached under her blankets and pulled out the sweater she had been knitting. It was almost finished. She held it up and compared it to the image in her head of it's intended recipient. Yep. It will work, she thought happily to herself.

The next shift Sam came in feeling irritable that morning. She had been at 51's several months, had done more than the requisite three months of hands on paramedic training with Johnny and Roy and yet, she was still in the same place. She liked 51's, but she knew that she was supposed to move on, experience other houses and eventually earn a permanent assignment. The fact that she hadn't been rotated yet and that nobody had even said anything to her about it is what was bothering her. Either they were not happy with her performance, or they were plain out and out holding her back.

After roll call and morning announcements, Sam was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Cap?" she asked, looking her captain in the eye. "Am I not cutting it here?"

"What do you mean, Sam?" he asked, rather perplexed. Sam was a top-notch paramedic as far as he could tell. He wasn't qualified medically to deem her so but he had gotten nothing but praises from Roy and John and from Dr. Brackett regarding her medical abilities. And he could certainly judge her professionalism and firefighting abilities. He had no complaints. Many of the citizens she had helped take care of had written in to the department about her professionalism and compassion. _Why would she have doubts?_ Hank silently asked as she began to speak to him.

"Can we go into the office, please?" Sam decided this was not a conversation that everyone needed to be in on. If the department was holding her back for being a woman, she was going to call a spade a spade and it wasn't necessarily going to be pretty.

"Sure, of course," he said gesturing her to lead the way. The two walked from the day room to the office and Captain Stanley closed the door behind her. "What's this all about?" he asked after they both were seated.

"Cap, have you had any concerns about my abilities as a paramedic or has anyone else expressed any concerns along those lines?" Sam was going to get to the point very quickly.

"No, not at all; in fact just the opposite. Roy and John have only written glowing reports of your abilities. Dr. Brackett has written a few progress reports as well expressing a strong level of skill and professionalism. I would say you're doing a great job as a paramedic."

"And how about my abilities as a firefighter? Have you any concerns there or has anyone else expressed any?" She pressed on.

"Sam, no. You have been doing a fine job. You keep a calm head about you, use common sense, work as a team player and I consider you as fine a firefighter as any of our crew."

"Then why haven't I been given an assignment?"

"An assignment?" Hank repeated, questioningly.

"A position. Why haven't I been assigned a position? Don't probies usually get rotating assignments? I know I have a year to prove myself, but isn't it standard to be assigned a rotation by now?"

Hank could have kicked himself. He had gotten so used to her being a third paramedic with the squad that he hadn't really given it much thought that she should have been moved by now. Usually when the reports were in the Chief's office, the chief would call the captain and let him know where the next assignment would be. He and Roy had both signed off on the paperwork from their end a long time ago but nothing had come of it yet from Chief Hauts. Currently all the squads were fully staffed and there weren't any paramedic openings other than needing substitutes. Could that be why she hadn't been assigned yet? Hank finally realized that Sam must have felt like she was being held back on purpose. What Hank knew and Sam did not is that the department was about to be making some policy and personnel changes that would affect station staffing. Hank wasn't at liberty to say anything about the changes just yet. It wasn't a done deal until the County Council approved it, and their meeting was to be held that very day.

"Oh, Sam. I'm sorry. Your paperwork was filed at the end of your certification period. This is the first time we have fully trained a paramedic without a spot waiting to be filled. Now I don't know if that is what has caused the hold up in assignment or what, but I will be happy to look in on that for you. Please, rest assured, your performance is not in question at all."

Sam looked down at her feet and absently bit her lower lip while she thought. So the department really wasn't holding her back. They hadn't so far on anything else, why would they start now? "So… isn't it logical that I'd be assigned as just a firefighter somewhere until an opening came up for a paramedic?"

"Well, that would seem like the logical thing to happen, wouldn't it? I'll give the Chief a call and see if I can't find some information for you." Hank tried to sound reassuring. "And Sam, for the record… Your family at 51's will be sad to see you assigned somewhere else. Happy for you, but we'd just as soon have you here."

"Unmmm, Thanks Cap. I appreciate that and I'm sorry I assumed I was being held back."

"That's perfectly understandable, under the circumstances." Hank smiled at her, showing his understanding. Sam nodded her head, smiled back and left his office. Hank looked at his watch. The County Council should be in session that very moment. Soon a decision would be made that could have a lasting effect on the LA County Fire Department. Silently Hank offered a prayer that things would go well.

Sam walked back to the now empty day room. The rest of the men were doing their station chores. It was her turn to cook. She washed her hands then got out a large Dutch oven and a cast iron skillet and placed the Dutch oven on the counter, the skillet on the stove. She took out a cutting board and a chef's knife and set them on the counter as well. Going to the refrigerator she pulled out some celery, onions, bell pepper and a pound and a half of burger. She proceeded to brown the burger and while she did so she washed and cut up the vegetables, throwing them into the pot. When the burger was browned she drained off the fat and put the meat in with the veggies then added several cans of kidney beans, some canned green chilies and a can of tomato sauce. After stirring everything together, she put the lid on the Dutch oven and placed it in the oven at a moderately low temperature. She intended to simmer it all day until dinnertime.

As she started to wash the skillet Mike entered the day room. Her back being to the doorway, she was unaware of his presence but he was keenly aware of hers. They had been dating pretty much since the day she had walked into 51's, however; their conduct at work was strictly professional. Off duty, Mike had had to slow Sam down. She had been sure of what she wanted and not eager to wait for it, but Mike sensed something about her that made him want to take things slower, to savor the relationship and build it. He had known when he first saw her that she was going to be a challenge and he was determined to rise to it. He had to.

As Sam washed the dishes, Mike stood in the doorway, staring at her. He loved her so much and lately, just the sight of her made him want to spontaneously combust into multi-colored flames. He was finding that just hearing her name mentioned was starting to overwhelm his sense of self-control. He wanted her in every way. He didn't know how much longer he could hold himself back. He didn't know if he even wanted to any more. While he considered this, his thoughts were rudely interrupted.

"**Station 51, station 110, MVA involving a transit bus, multiple unknown injuries…"**

Mike was out of the doorway before Sam even turned around. Cap acknowledged the call, handed a slip to Roy and took his place on the Engine in the Officer's seat.

When they pulled up on the scene the transit bus and a tractor-trailer rig were both on their sides. The driver of the tractor-trailer rig had managed to free himself and climb out. He was attempting to assist the passengers of the transit bus. He had a large contusion on his forehead above his left eye and he looked to be in pain. Vince Howard, the traffic cop was too busy with crowd control to stop him from helping and officer Brooks who was also on scene was busily directing traffic away from the accident. Both men were praying for back up to arrive soon.

While the engine crew busied themselves with their own tasks, Roy and Johnny grabbed equipment and headed for the bus. Roy directed Sam to set up a triage area. "Johnny, I'll get him, you check out the others," Roy directed as he approached the driver of the tractor-trailer rig.

Captain Stanley joined the men and started to direct those passengers that could walk to the triage area. "Roy, 110's just pulled up. Where do you want them?" he asked.

"Send one to help Sam and the other in here," Roy answered. He spoke to the man as he looked at the contusion on his head. "Sir, how 'bout if you let the firemen take over now. You've got a pretty good bump on your head there. How do you feel?"

"I… I don't feel like anything. Look at all these people. They need help." The man was frantic.

"Now just calm down Mr… " Roy looked at him questioningly.

"Brown. Jim Brown"

"Mr. Brown, I'm fireman Roy DeSoto. I'm gonna help you and we're gonna help all of these passengers here so I need you to just relax and let me have a look at you, okay?"

Mr. Brown nodded and reluctantly let Roy lead him away from the rear emergency exit of the bus. Roy walked him to the curb and had him sit down. He took the man's pulse, BP and counted respirations, noting them to relay to rampart as soon as possible. He questioned the man about any other pains or complaints and checked pupil response with his penlight finding nothing remarkable. Miraculously the contusion seemed to be a relatively minor head injury. Roy let Captain Stanley assist the man over to Sam and the paramedic from 110's and gave Hank the slip of paper he had written his findings on so that Sam could call it in to Rampart, then headed back to the bus to assist with more critical injuries.

Paramedic Tom Wheeler was in the bus attending to a pregnant woman whose legs were pinned in the wreckage. Roy took one look at her and for an instant all he could see was Joanne. He blinked hard and pushed the thought out of his mind. Chet was attending to a teenaged girl who was also pinned in the wreckage. She claimed not to be in any pain but her color was pale and she was diaphoretic. She couldn't feel her legs. The crew from 110's was beginning the task of freeing the victims as the paramedics attended to their injuries the best they could. Roy looked around.

"Where's Johnny?" he asked Chet.

"He left with the first ambulance. There were two children with head injuries; both unconscious and their mother had a broken leg. He rode in with them."

"Where are the biophones?"

"Sam has one at triage and the other one is behind me." Roy looked behind Chet and sure enough, on the floor was the biophone set up and ready to transmit. Roy took the girl's vitals and checked her over carefully then reported to Rampart on the girl and the pregnant woman Tom was dealing with. He received instructions and the two paramedics quickly carried out the treatment orders.

After what seemed like an hour, but was really more like 15 minutes, both victims were free and on their way to the hospital. Sam and Tom's partner finished up with the less seriously injured patients and then drove in to pick up their partners.

After being released from assisting with patients, Roy washed up and headed to the lounge to wait for his partners. When he got there, Johnny was already drinking a cup of coffee talking with Tom.

"Hey Roy," said Tom. "How's the girl?"

"Not good. She can't feel or move her legs at all." He shook his head sadly. "How's the pregnant woman?"

Tom looked down at the floor. He didn't say a word. Roy stared at him intently for a moment then finally said, "Well?"

"She lost the baby, Roy." Johnny was the one that answered. Carefully he watched for his partner's reaction.

Roy's eyes glazed over and he looked sick. He put his hand to his face and over his mouth. Johnny could see tears forming in his eyes. Immediately Johnny was out of his seat and went to Roy.

Tom said, "I'm sorry. There wasn't any more I could do," before excusing himself to go look for his partner.

Johnny put his hand on Roy's shoulder. "You okay, man?" he asked.

Roy swallowed hard, wiped his eyes with the heel of his hands and blinked a few times. He let his professional demeanor take over again. "Yeah… yeah. I'm fine. It just makes you think, you know?"

Johnny nodded once but didn't say anything.

"Everything can change in the blink of an eye. One minute you're riding a bus, maybe coming home from a doctor's appointment, excited about being a mother and wham! The next minute your whole life has changed."

"I know. I know. It just doesn't make any sense." Johnny agreed and was sympathetic to his partner's distress.

"How about those kids you brought in?" asked Roy, dreading the answer but needing to ask.

"I think they're gonna be fine. They both regained consciousness on the way in. Their Mom was amazing! She was one calm and cool headed chick!" Johnny started to tell Roy about the ride in but before he could finish, Sam poked her head in the lounge.

"Hey you two, are you about ready?"

Johnny shot her a look that said, "Hold your horses!" and Sam knew by it that Roy needed a little breather. She walked in and came to his side, putting her arm around his waist and giving him a squeeze.

"Tough run," she said. "Are you okay?"

Roy sighed. _Not really, _he thought. "Yeah, I will be. Let me have a cup of coffee and then we can go."

"Coffee sounds good to me," she said as she walked over to pour them each a cup. The three paramedics drank their coffee quietly. No words were needed between them. When they were through, Johnny rinsed their cups and the three headed back to the barn.

After parking the squad, Roy headed to the office to fill out the call log and then to the dorm room. Sitting at the desk he slowly dialed the familiar number that he dialed every shift.

"Hello, DeSoto residence," he heard. Joanne's voice was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard and before he could respond, he choked up and no sound would come out.

*Thanks for reading. Please take a moment to leave me a review. Reviews really help keep me writing!


	7. Chapter 7

**And Then There Were Three**

**Chapter 7**

Joanne looked at the clock. Katie's bus would be there any minute. She finished making the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that she and Katie would be eating for lunch and then set the plated sandwiches on the table. She put the peanut butter and jelly jars back in the refrigerator and took out the milk and some carrot sticks she had peeled and cut the day before. As she was about to pour the milk the phone rang.

"Hello, DeSoto residence," she answered cheerfully. There was no response on the other end. "Hello?" she said again, questioningly. Still there was no response but as she listened, she thought she could hear somebody sniff. Instantly her instincts told her who it was. Roy must have had a really bad run.

"Roy, honey, are you okay?" she asked, her voice filled with worry. Suddenly, Roy felt the need to reassure his wife.

"Annie," he tried to say but his voice broke, betraying his emotions.

"Roy, what's happened? Are you all right? Are the guys okay?" By the time she had gotten out her questions, Roy had composed himself somewhat.

"Annie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm okay. We're all… okay. Nobody's hurt."

"Thank God, Roy. You scared me half to death. What is the matter?"

"I… I just… needed to hear your voice. I needed to know that you were okay," Roy admitted.

"I'm fine, honey. What's going on? Did you have a bad run?"

Usually Roy didn't talk about his runs with Joanne. He didn't want to cause her to worry about him so much every time he went to work. He simply answered her with as little detail as possible. "Yeah. Yeah we had a real bad run. A lot of people were hurt and I just wanted to hear your voice. I love you."

"Roy, I love you too. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. How are you feeling today?"

"I'm okay, Roy. I'm kind of tired, but you know, it comes with the territory. I… Oh, Katie's bus just pulled up."

"Well I'll let you go then. I love you. Give Katie a hug from her dad."

"I will. I love you. Bye." Joanne hung up and jogged out to meet her daughter.

"Mommy!" Katie said as she bounded over to her mother once she'd cleared the last step of the school bus.

Joanne put her arms around her little girl and gave her a big hug. "Hi Sweetie. Did you have a good day at school?"

The two walked into the house together while Katie excitedly shared all she had done at school that day with her mother. When they had washed up and Joanne had finished putting lunch on the table, they sat down together to enjoy their meal. When Katie had devoured most everything but the carrots, Joanne pointed to them and said, "Eat up young lady. Carrots will make you strong and smart." Katie giggled and obediently started munching carrots.

"How would you like to help me make some cookies and we can take them to the fire station?" Joanne figured that if hearing her voice had been that important to Roy, seeing her would be all that much more reassuring. The cookies would be a good excuse. Besides, she could use the reassurance of seeing for herself that her husband was okay.

Katie's face lit up. "Can we make peanut butter with chocolate chips? They're Daddy's favorite and mine too."

"You bet. Just as soon as we finish our lunch." It didn't take Katie long to do that. She loved taking cookies to the fire station. She loved seeing the fire engine and her Daddy and Uncle Johnny's rescue truck. Sometimes they let her flash the lights and Uncle Mike even let her honk the big horn sometimes. Even when she pulled the cord herself the loud noise always startled her and made her jump.

When they made the cookies, Katie talked Joanne into leaving the chocolate chips out of the dough so that she could place them by hand and make each cookie a smiley face. "I like to make happy cookies," Katie explained.

The cookies were still a little warm when the two ladies arrived at the fire station. Sam was the one who came to the door.

"Joanne, Katie, what a nice surprise. Come in." She held the door open for them and Katie practically dragged her mother through the door in her eagerness to find her Daddy and her Uncle Johnny. Once inside she decided her Mom was just slowing her down so she let go of her hand and ran straight for the day room.

"Hey, where's the fire?" asked Hank when she ran in.

"There isn't one. I'm trying to find my Daddy and Uncle Johnny," explained Katie.

"Well, I think they're up in the hose tower. Maybe you can get your Auntie Sam to take you up there, if it's okay with your mom, that is."

"That's fine, if Aunt Sam doesn't mind." Joanne thought a moment with the Captain out of earshot of the others might be a good thing.

Sam held out her hand for Katie to take hold of. "Come on, Sweetie. I'll be happy to take you to them."

As soon as they were alone Joanne set the cookies on the table then looked Hank in the eye. "So, I guess there was a pretty bad run earlier."

Hank frowned a moment. "Yes. It was a bad run. I'm afraid your husband is a sore loser."

Joanne nodded in agreement. "How bad was it?"

"We had a teenager with severe spinal injuries and a… " Hank stopped mid-sentence, not sure if he should say the rest.

"And a what?" Joanne persisted.

Hank stepped closer to Joanne, unsure how she would take the news and made sure he was ready to support her if it threw her. "There was a pregnant woman pinned in the wreckage of a bus."

Concern filled Joanne's face because she knew how compassionate her husband was and how it must have hurt him so to see that. "She didn't make it?"

"Actually, she did make it. But she lost the baby." Hank put a hand on Joanne's arm. It was a gesture of caring but also an opportunity to steady her if need be. Tears came immediately to her face. She was filled with compassion for Roy and the hormones of pregnancy made her more emotional than she otherwise would have been. Hank moved his arm around her and hugged her. Joanne accepted the comfort briefly then stood up straighter.

"Thank you. I'm okay. How is Roy doing, really? I spoke with him on the phone but I thought maybe it would be better to stop by and see him."

"Truthfully, he's having it rough. He puts up a good front, but it has been hard on him today. I think stopping by was a good idea." Joanne nodded as they heard Katie's voice telling her Daddy all about the happy cookies they had brought.

"Mommy has them," she said as they walked through the apparatus bay. "Oh, Hi Uncle Mike."

Roy, Katie and Mike stepped into the day room just then. Joanne looked up in time to see the flood of relief fill Roy's face and for just a second his eyes looked as though he would cry but it passed in an instant. He stepped quickly towards his wife and embraced her. Hank and Mike quickly suggested to Katie that she go with them to check out the engine and left the couple alone for a few private minutes together.

No words had to be said between them. Roy held his wife for a long moment then they kissed passionately until the loud "blaaaaaaaat" from the horn on the engine and loud laughter that followed jolted them out of it.

"Feel better?" Joanne asked.

"Yeah, and you?" Roy asked, hugging her again.

"Much. Now, how about we let Katie pass out her cookies?"

After Joanne and Katie had headed home, Roy felt much more at ease and the entire station seemed a happier, friendlier place to all of the crew. Everyone loved Katie's "happy cookies" and wasted no time in making them disappear.

Around four in the afternoon the phone rang at the station. Sam answered the phone to find Chief Hauts on the other end.

"Yes Chief, I'll get him for you," she said then sent Roy after Captain Stanley. When Roy found Hank coming out of the washroom he said he'd take the call in his office and closed the door behind him after he entered. When Sam heard him pick up she hung up the phone.

Almost a half hour later Hank emerged from his office with a big smile on his face. All the crew was curious at what had him so happy but none dared ask. They waited for him to share or not as he saw fit. Hank knew that curiosity was killing his men and he was secretly enjoying the satisfaction of making them wait for it. Usually, around the firehouse, the Captain was the one perpetually in the dark. One would be hard pressed to find a captain who would admit that, but it was true, nonetheless. While the men tried to look engaged, reading magazines, watching television (or at least staring at the screen), or "studying" a firefighting manual, as Sam was doing, Hank busied himself with the daily crossword puzzle from the newspaper while he sipped a cup of coffee.

Looking up from his newspaper he glanced over at Sam. She didn't notice that he saw her furtively glancing around the room at her shift mates to see if they were really interested in their own business or not. Hank grinned. Every last one of his crew could barely stand not knowing.

He spoke to Sam. "Sam, I don't know what you have in that oven for our supper but it sure smells great!" he said.

"Thanks, Cap. It's bean stew. Kind of like a chili, but milder, unless you want to zip it up with condiments."

"Sounds interesting. How's the studying going?" He asked her.

"What?" she asked. Then she remembered the book she was "looking" at. "Oh, that. Fine. I guess you can't be too prepared for the big one," she chuckled.

"Well, that's true enough I suppose. When ever you feel like taking a break from that, could I see you in my office?" he asked.

Butterflies instantly started to flit in Sam's stomach. "Uh, sure Cap. I could use a break about now. Is this a good time?"

"As good as any," he said. "Shall we?" Hank stood and waited for Sam to pass by him before following her to the office. The rest of the men all followed them with their eyes before quietly speculating amongst each other as to what this might be about. Of course, none of them really had any clue.

Hank opened the door to his office then waited for Sam to enter before following her in and closing the door. He asked her to sit then pulled his chair out from behind his desk and sat closer to Sam without the desk between them. He stretched his legs out in front of him and folded his hands behind his head, leaning back and looking relaxed. His posture putting Sam at ease a little, she silently let out the breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"So I suppose you're wondering why I called this meeting." Hank smiled at his probie, enjoying the harmless little game of cat and mouse.

"Well, if you feel like telling me I would be willing to listen," she teased back.

Hank let out a chuckle then put his arms on the arms of the chair and leaned forward a bit. "Sam, as you know I spoke with Chief Hauts a little while ago. Part of it concerned you and your position with the fire department."

Though that statement sounded a bit ominous to Sam, she chose not to let it worry her because of the laid back demeanor of her captain. She knew it couldn't be anything bad. "How so, Cap?" she asked.

"Well, first, let me ask you… From your own perspective, how has your time been here at Station 51? Please feel free to speak freely and off the record."

"Cap, I've really learned a lot here. As you know there are vast differences between the vollies and the career departments. The guys here have been pretty willing to teach and have even let me teach them a thing or two. I sensed a lot of discomfort at first from the guys but they've warmed up to me and I don't feel like they treat me any differently than anyone else now, at least on A-shift. The B and C guys don't seem to be as comfortable, but for the most part they are pretty good with me."

"Good. Now tell me this, do you feel you've been treated fairly within the department or are there any concerns or issues you have that you haven't spoken up about?" Hank wanted to make sure his perception of how things were going was accurate.

"Overall, I think things are good. There are guys out there that I've encountered on scenes that are not very accepting or friendly. But we have a job to do and we all do it. As long as I can do my job they can do theirs, I can deal with that. Change takes time. Attitudes don't change overnight. I know that, Cap."

"That's good to hear, Sam. If anything does come up though, you know my door is always open. And you can call me at home too, understand?"

"I know that, Cap. And I appreciate it. I've enjoyed these last several months working under your leadership."

"Well, you're doing a fine job. And that brings me around to the reason for this meeting in the first place." Hank paused a moment to switch gears. The momentary silence was not uncomfortable and not long. "As you know, I spoke with Chief Hauts a while ago."

"Yes."

"The department has been considering a pilot program that would increase staffing to include a third paramedic at each participating station. The third paramedic would be assigned to the Engine Company."

Sam cocked her head a bit as she waited for him to continue. This news definitely had her attention.

"As you know, many instances have occurred where the Engine Company has been sent on a run while the squad is already out on another and often times there are medical emergencies involved. While we're all trained in basic first aid it hasn't been uncommon for us to find our limited knowledge and skills are not enough for the patients we encounter, like when we reach a scene with a cardiac patient and the squad is already tied up."

Sam nodded. "Mike has expressed frustration over that many times. I know you've even lost a few patients over it."

"In order to pilot a program allowing a paramedic to join the engine company the department needed approval of the city council. The recent levies passed have provided funding to make it possible and today, the city council voted to move forward with the pilot program. Station 51 will be one of the stations in the pilot run."

"That's great!" Sam exclaimed. "This makes so much sense and it IS going to save lives. There is no doubt about it!"

"I believe you're right about that," said Hank. "But the question now is who will fill that spot here. You are due for rotation. You could be sent to any station in the pilot program because it creates openings we didn't have before."

"Cap, I'll go where ever I am needed. I am willing to work anywhere." Sam loved working at 51's but she knew as a probie she had to be especially flexible.

"Well, I appreciate your willingness. And I'd expect nothing less, however, Chief Hauts has given his blessing and permission for you to take the position here, if you want it. The pilot run is expected to go for six months to one year for evaluation purposes before deciding if it should be made standard for the department."

Sam was elated that she might not have to leave 51's. But as great a prospect as it was for her, she knew it could complicate things with Mike. "Uh, Cap?"

"What is it?"

"I am really excited about this program. I would love to stay, but uh… I… how do I say this?"

"Speak freely Sam."

"Off the record still?" She asked. Hank smiled and nodded.

"Okay, well, you know Mike and I have become close." Hank was pretty sure he knew where this was going. He nodded for her to continue. "Well, we uh, we're _really _close. I mean, I… um… I… I love him. I am _in_ love with him. And I know it is mutual." There. She said it.

"Yes, I… figured as much. Captains are very perceptive you know." He smiled at her.

"So, I guess there aren't policies about that yet since there aren't other women, but that could be kind of… sticky couldn't it?" Sam asked.

"To be sure. However, you have both been professional at work. And we have stations in this department where brothers work on the same Engine Company. At this particular point in time, I don't see a problem with things. If that should change in the future, we'll deal with it as it comes up. How does that sound?"

"Honestly Cap, that is sounding really good. When would it start?"

"Well, since you're currently assigned here, and the city council has agreed to the plan, it could be effective immediately. But you can have a few days to think it over if you'd like."

"What would it look like? I mean, the squad is search and rescue first and fire suppression second; the engine company is fire suppression. What would my role be exactly?"

"That is a good question." Hank answered. "It would be an evolving position. That is kind of the point of a pilot program, to test theories and ideas and build a working model, right?"

"Right," agreed Sam.

"You would start out with your primary function as fire suppression but you would be lead for any medical situations that come up on runs involving only the Engine Company. And you would be triage for runs that involve both the Engine Company and the squad, leaving the squad's paramedics to be primary search and rescue. At least at this point that is how it looks. What to do you think of that?"

"I'm game. I'd like to try it." Sam said. "I don't need a few days. I want to do it. Can I start today?"

"You'll be riding the tailboard." Captain Stanley answered.

"Awww, shucks!!" Sam exclaimed, clearly NOT disappointed, with a huge smile on her face. "Thanks Cap. Thanks for everything."

"My pleasure, Sam. And congratulations. We'll have a meeting during supper, if everyone's in house and discuss it."

"Great. So I have to keep quiet 'til then?"

"I'd appreciate it if you did." Hank answered.

"You got it. May I be dismissed?"

"By all means." Hank stood and walked to the door, opening it for her to walk through. Sam all but bounced out of the office, ready to explode with happiness and unable to say one word about it. This had been a tremendous surprise to her and she was deciding that maybe she liked surprises.

*Thanks for reading. Please leave me a review. It helps me keep writing! Your comments and suggestions are always very helpful and appreciated. -Hotflash


	8. Chapter 8

And Then There Were Three

Chapter 8

*Warning: This chapter contains mild mature situations

When the door to the Captain's office opened, not a soul was in sight, though Cap and Sam both knew they had been near just prior to it opening. If anyone had been close enough when she stepped out, they would have seen the bounce in Sam's step and the grin on her face that she could not have hidden to save her life. But because Hank had followed her out, no one dared approach her to try and find out what was up. Sam headed straight for the day room and Hank followed her, sitting back down at the table with a fresh cup of coffee.

Sam busied herself for the rest of the afternoon. She was hoping for an afternoon of runs to keep her busy but she had no such luck. She knew if she had to have much conversation she might burst from keeping her new role at 51's a secret so she scrubbed the kitchen cabinets with Murphy's Oil Soap, then wiped them down with Scott's Liquid Gold until the wood practically glowed. Next she took everything out of the refrigerator, scrubbed the inside thoroughly, made sure everything that went back in was still edible, then she dated and labeled everything so that nothing ancient was put back inside. She even went so far as to pull the refrigerator out from the wall and sweep and mop underneath. She vacuumed the coils on the back and wiped it down until not a speck of dust was left then pushed the appliance back in place.

When five o'clock finally rolled around Sam was relieved that supper would be served shortly. She cut open a loaf of French bread, buttered it generously then cut it into slices. Sam put it on a plate, took the Dutch oven out of the oven and placed it on a trivet on the table. She set out a ladle, bowls, spoons and glasses for everyone. She took out the milk and the iced tea and set it on the table. By this time the smell of the stew that had been released from the confinement of the oven had lulled every one of the crew into the day room. As everyone filed in and sat down, Sam grabbed some napkins and set them on the table and then seated her self.

Captain Stanley started conversation by again telling Sam how good their supper smelled as he dished himself up a full bowl. Mike dished his next and because the pot was so hot he offered to dish all of them if they would pass their bowls, which they gladly did. After the initial oohing and aaahing over their meal had passed, Hank told his men about the city council's meeting and decisions, and that Sam would be starting in that capacity effective immediately.

"Cap," asked Chet. "Where will the department get the funding for the new equipment?"

"Remember the levy you all stood out on the streets on your days off campaigning for? Part of that money will fund the equipment and the cost of additional staffing. And there will not be biophones on the engines initially, which will save some money up front. In fact, for the first week or two there may not be much more than advanced first aid kits but in time, the supplies and equipment will be added and then we will see how well the program works. If it is as successful as it is hoped to be, it will become a permanent change."

Conversation continued with the men asking detailed questions about the logistics of the program and Captain Stanley answering as best he could. When every last drop of Sam's stew had been eaten, the bread was gone and the men were all out of questions, the crew cleared the table and played their usual round of poker to see who got dish duty. Though it rarely happened, Hank played the lowest hand and the men gleefully let their captain take his turn cleaning up as they retired to watch television or found other things to keep them occupied. Hank had recommended to Sam that she and Mike take some time to discuss where they might want to recommend keeping the new equipment on the engine so the two of them headed for the apparatus bay.

When Sam and Mike were as far away from the day room as possible, on the far side of the engine Sam looked at Mike and saw he was staring back at her, almost mesmerized.

"What?" she asked him, bringing his focus back.

"What do you mean, 'what?'" he asked.

"Why are you staring at me like that?"

Mike shifted on his feet, uncomfortably. He looked around to make sure no one was lurking nearby. "You are so incredibly beautiful when you're happy like this. I can't stop looking." Mike fought the urge to reach out and touch her face, though he wanted to do that and more.

Sam blushed and looked down trying to hide it. Quickly regaining her composure she looked up at him and took a deep breath then let it out. "Is this going to be weird for us?" she asked.

"No. Yes. I mean, I don't know. I don't want it to be, but…" Mike had a hard time answering.

"Mike, I told Cap about us," Sam blurted out.

"You did? What did you say?" he asked, sounding just a little panicked.

"I told him we'd been dating."

"How did he take that?" Mike asked.

"He said he knew… that Captains are very perceptive like that."

"What else?"

"I told him that I love you. And that I was sure it was mutual."

"It IS mutual, Sam. I DO love you, very much," Mike reassured her. He reached out to hug her, not caring that they were at work. They embraced warmly, but briefly. Neither one wanted to cause issues that would create new policies. They didn't notice Roy walk around the end of the engine at the very moment they embraced.

"Ahem!" Roy cleared his throat as a warning that he was present. Sam and Mike each took a step backwards. "I uh… just wanted to say… congratulations Sam. I'm glad you'll be staying here. This is a great opportunity for you. And, I have to confess, I'm a little jealous you'll get to ride the tailboard." The three firefighters chuckled. Any of them would have jumped at that chance. Riding the tailboard was fun and brought back all the feelings they each had had as a child when they would see the engine racing by on the way to a fire. The feeling that caused an excitement deep inside of them that made them announce proudly to the world, "I'm gonna be a fireman when I grow up!" Well, Sam had never actually said that, but she had thought it.

The next morning when A-shift was getting ready to go home, Chet opened his locker to change and was greeted with a box of chocolates and a card that was scented with a familiar perfume.

"How in the heck did this get here?" Chet asked to no one in particular.

"Looks like someone put it there, Amigo." Marco offered a helpful explanation.

"I can see that, Einstein. The question is who?"

"Well, what's the card say?" Marco asked.

Chet opened the card and read it.

_Fireman Kelly,_

_I think you're sweet. Come dance with me._

_XOXO B. R._

"Well who's it from?" Marco prodded after Chet had read it.

"I don't know. It's signed B.R…. Barbara? Betty? Beth? I… I just don't know who she is!" The frustration in his voice was apparent. For the life of him he could not think of who B.R. might be. He was dying to know. He smelled the envelope and the perfume seemed vaguely familiar. Maybe that was because it was the same perfume as the first card he had found in his locker months ago.

"Well, one thing's for sure, Amigo…" Marco said.

"What's that?" Chet took the bait.

"She knows who you are, and she's got your number!" With that Marco smiled, then turned and headed for his car.

When Sam pulled into her driveway, Mike pulled in right behind her. Mike admired Miss Millie's roses along the front perimeter of the house, their fragrance was strong and he could smell them from the front walkway. Sam checked the mailbox and walked up to the door. He caught up with Sam on the porch and held the screen door open for her while she unlocked the multiple locks on the solid wooden door. When she got it open, they both stepped inside and Mike closed the door, locking it behind him out of habit.

"I thought you were heading home to work on the yard," Sam said. She set the mail on the dining room table and dropped her duffel on the floor.

"It'll keep." Mike answered, simply. He reached out for Sam and pulled him into his arms. Wrapping them around her waist he looked down into her eyes, smiling. "You are _so_ beautiful. I could barely contain myself back at the station."

"What do you mean, 'barely contain' yourself?" she asked. She felt almost feverish and her pulse started to race as she sensed what he was getting at. She had waited a long time for Mike to make an advanced move on her.

"I've been waiting… " Mike almost whispered and then kissed her passionately. The sudden passion from Mike was like an explosion on all of Sam's senses and she felt overwhelmed by the flood of passion between them. She felt like she had no air, yet it wasn't frightening, it was exhilarating. She pulled back slightly to take in some air and then took Mike's hand and led him to the living room and onto the couch. She wanted to push him down and take the lead but she resisted and let him lead her. He kissed her again and she felt dizzy. She lay back on the couch and his body followed hers. His kisses moved to her neck and behind her ear. His breath was hot on her cheek and she knew he was ready for her in every way. She wanted him and she had for a very long time. For as long as they had waited, she had started to think maybe he was afraid to commit. It sure didn't seem like it now. She was confused and her mind started to race. 'What if's' started to flood her mind. _What if he feels guilty later? What if the department finds out? What if I get pregnant? _

Mike realized that Sam had drifted somewhere and he stopped suddenly. "Samantha, are you okay?" he asked her. He looked into her eyes and saw confusion. He sat up and pulled her up too.

"I don't know… What are we doing?" Sam sounded shaky.

Mike took her hands in his. "I've made you wait a long time. I don't want to make you wait anymore. Is this… not what you want?" Mike wanted her and was surprised that she was resistant after they had waited so long.

"I _do_… I _do_ want to have you, but…"

"But what? Please… tell me what you're thinking."

"What does this mean? Where will it lead?" Sam asked.

"It means we love each other and we're committed to each other. It leads to where ever you want it to," Mike told her.

"Where do _you_ want it to lead us?" Sam wanted to know more than anything what Mike was thinking.

"Samantha, I am completely, totally lost in love with you. I cannot imagine my life without you. I want you by my side for the rest of my life. I am ready to give you anything you ask for, to put you first in my life, to do whatever it takes to make you happy. That is what makes me happy."

"Mike, are you asking me to marry you?" Sam wasn't really sure where this was going.

"Not yet." Mike looked down, almost as though he was ashamed of his answer.

"Why not _yet_?" asked Sam.

"What would you say if I _did_ ask you now?" Mike knew the answer.

Sam looked at the floor this time. Mike reached out and lifted her chin, looking her in the eyes and asked her again. "What would you say?"

Sam turned her face away. "I'd say no."

Although Sam thought Mike would be hurt by her answer he wasn't. It was exactly what he had expected. Sam loved him as much as he loved her. She was committed to him but she wasn't ready to say it to the world. For Sam it was as if saying it to the world would somehow cause something to take it all away from her.

"I know you would. When you're ready I _will_ ask you."

"Mike, I… I'm a little… scared," Sam admitted. "I don't want to blow things here. I don't want the department to transfer me now. I don't want you to feel guilty if we do this. And, I can't afford to get pregnant. That would ruin everything I've worked so hard for."

Mike carefully considered Sam's concerns. Each was valid, he realized and he knew they would have to address them. "What did Cap say when you told him about us?"

"He said, as long as we kept it professional at work he didn't see a problem with it. It isn't like there is a policy. This hasn't come up before. He said brothers work together in the same house so he saw no reason we shouldn't be able to."

"He's right. We just have to keep things professional and not take home to work and vice versa," Mike reasoned.

"You know that is going to be a challenge at times." Sam was trying to be practical.

"I think we're up to that challenge, don't you?"" Mike responded. Sam nodded slowly after she considered it.

"And I won't feel guilty. This is what we both want. I know this is a lifelong commitment. I've always known that; it's why I have waited so long. I hope you'll be ready to someday, but Sam, I am here to stay. Weather you marry me or not, you're stuck with me. I'm not going any where."

"Well, what about the last thing?" Sam asked. "I may never choose to have children. I love kids, but I can't fight fire if I'm pregnant. Right now, my career is very important to me. How do you feel about that?"

"Sam, I want kids, I won't lie to you. But if you choose not to have any, I understand. We can adopt or I can live without kids if that is what you want. I want you to be happy and I will do whatever it takes to keep you happy. I love you."

"I love you, Mike. I… I don't… I don't have anything here though. If we're going to do this, I hope you brought something."

Mike groaned. "I guess I'll be heading out on a little errand then. I mean, I have something, but I don't know if I'd trust it as long as I've had it."

"Well then I _certainly_ don't trust it!" Sam agreed.

Mike kissed Sam on the forehead. "I'll be right back. Don't go anywhere."

"I'll be here. Take the keys with you. I might be… busy… when you get back." Sam winked at him when she said it.

Mike had no idea what that was supposed to mean but he wasn't going to waste any time finding out. He accepted the keys and left quickly.

Mike's place was only a few minutes away and he wasted no time in getting there. He went to his bathroom and checked the medicine cabinet. He was glad to find what he needed in there and put the box in his jacket pocket. As he closed the cabinet he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. He decided he needed a shave and quickly set about doing so. He didn't want to scratch Sam's skin with his morning shadow. Quickly he cleaned up the mess and headed for the kitchen.

Mike found a bottle of champagne he had been saving in the refrigerator and pulled out some fresh strawberries he had picked up at the store. He washed them as fast as he could and patted them dry with a paper towel before putting them in a bowl and covering them with plastic wrap. He grabbed to champagne glasses out of his cabinet then took everything out to his truck and headed back to the beautiful woman waiting just down the street.

When Mike opened the door he was greeted by the fragrance of fresh roses. As he closed and locked the door he noticed a trail of red, white and yellow petals leading from the front door to the staircase leading up to Sam's quarters. As he started up the stairs he could hear the soft and romantic sound of piano and saxophone intermingled coming from the stereo and he could hear water running. When he reached the top of the stairs he stepped into Sam's living space he found she had lit some candles and closed all of the shades. One small lamp was on in the corner of the room but the effect was a warm glow. He noticed that the candles were placed in glass dishes, partially filled with salt. They would be safe if left somewhat unattended for short periods.

"Samantha," he called out softly, looking towards the sound of running water. He heard no replay. He set the champagne and strawberries, along with the glasses, down on the coffee table. He took off his jacket setting it on a chair and walked towards where he had heard the water coming from, though it had just stopped.

"Samantha," he said again softly. He didn't want to startle her if she hadn't realized yet that he was back. "Where are you beautiful?"

Sam stepped out of the bathroom doorway just before he reached it. She stood there in nothing but a short, pink, silk robe with her hair piled and pinned on top of her head.

Mike lost his breath at the site of her. Sam looked up at him feeling just a tiny bit shy, or maybe just self-conscious but she tried to hide it.

"Hi there," she said and it sounded sultry. Mike somehow managed to breathe again before speaking.

"I uh… I stopped by the house and picked up some strawberries and champagne, but, uh… I guess they can wait for your bath."

" You mean _our_ bath?" she asked. "It seemed a great way to relax and get comfortable with, you know, being naked."

Mike had never had a bubble bath before, well, not since he was a kid anyway. "O – kay," he said, drawing out both syllables in a tentative response. Sam reached up and began to unbutton Mike's shirt. Mike helped her by starting from the bottom and working his way up until their hands met in the middle. Mike took hold of her hands and brought them up to his face, kissing them gently. He let go of them and cupped her face in his own hands and they kissed gently and slowly.

After a moment they stopped and Mike slid his now open shirt off and hung it on the bathroom doorknob. He tried to kick his shoes off but he had to reach down and untie them first and while he did so Sam started rubbing his back. Her hands were warm and soft and Mike loved the feel of them on his skin. He stood up and unfastened his pants, stepping out of them and hanging them on a towel bar. Sam had to chuckle just a little at his neatness.

"Why don't you get in first and I'll join you," Mike said in an almost whisper. Sam nodded and turned away from him. She slipped her robe off, letting it fall to the floor and stepped into the steaming tub. As she turned away, Mike finished undressing and was already stepping in before Sam's second foot left the floor. He felt a little self-conscious himself. They got themselves situated with Mike sitting against the back of the tub and Sam seated in front of him with his arms around her and her leaning back against him. For the next twenty minutes they relaxed together getting comfortable with each other.

After their bath they returned now comfortable in their nakedness to the living room. Sam had grabbed a sheet and blanket and they snuggled together, sipped champagne and ate the strawberries as they explored each other with their hands and with kisses. After a time it felt to both of them that further delay might drive them crazy. Mike made one last attempt to let Sam say no if she wanted.

"Samantha, are you sure this is what you want? There's no going back once we move forward." Instead of answering she surprised him with a question.

"Why do you keep using my full name? Nobody calls me that."

"I do. I love your full name. And I like that I'm the only one who calls you that. Do you not want me to?"

Sam smiled. She liked his answer. "_You_ can call me that. _Only_ you can, Michael." It sounded funny to both of them when she used his full name and he grinned while she giggled. Then he asked his question again.

"Samantha, are you sure this is what you want?"

"Yes. More sure than I've ever been of anything."

***Well there it is, the chapter some of you have been asking for. I hope you like it. Please leave me feedback. I thrive on it. Thanks. =) Hotflash**


	9. Chapter 9

**And Then There Were Three**

**Chapter 9**

When Chet unlocked the door to his apartment there was an envelope taped to his door.

"Well, what have we here?" he said to no one. He pulled it off the door and entered his apartment. He opened the envelope and read the note inside. It was written on plain notebook paper.

"_Welcome home. Hope you had a good shift at work."_ It was signed, "_Your Secret Admirer_" and had a red lipstick kiss on the paper after it.

Up to this point, Chet had rather enjoyed the attention he was getting from his secret admirer, but this rather creeped him out and left him with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He decided to call someone. He picked up the phone and dialed it. Three rings later there was an answer.

"Hola, Hello." Said Marco.

"Marco? It's Chet!"

"Hey Chet, what's up?"

"You wouldn't believe what just happened," Chet started to explain.

"What Amigo? Is everything okay?" Marco sounded concerned.

"My secret admirer knows where I live."

"You're kidding! How do you know?"

"She left a note on my door!" Chet exclaimed.

"Are you serious?" Marco asked.

"Yeah, I'm not sure what to make of it," Chet admitted.

Marco thought about it. "It _is_ a little over the top to go to your home," he agreed. He was still very surprised because he was the one putting things in Chet's locker and he certainly had not gone to Chet's apartment. He didn't know about the card Chet had found in his car a while back. "You'd better be careful, Amigo. That's just creepy."

"Yeah, you're telling me. You sure that you or one of the guys is doing this?" Chet asked hoping that was exactly what it was.

"Chet, I swear… I don't know anything about any notes on your door. If it was one of us, when would we have had time? We were all at work!"

"Aaaah! You're right," said Chet, sounding resigned. "I gotta figure this out. I guess I'll see you in a couple of days."

"Okay, Chet. Just be careful. Watch out for your stalker." As the two men hung up their phones, a small shiver went up Chet's spine.

* * *

Roy had only been home from work about 5 minutes when Johnny called.

"DeSoto Residence," Roy said when he picked up the phone in the kitchen where Joanne was preparing breakfast for him.

"Roy, hi, it's me, Johnny."

"So I noticed."

"Hey, are you and Joanne busy? There's something Sharon and I want to talk to you about."

"No, we're not busy. You wanna come over here?"

"Yeah, that would be great. Is now a good time?"

"Hang on just a second," Roy answered. He'd better consult with his wife. She was standing next to him wondering what was going on. He looked at her and smiled. "It's Johnny. He and Sharon want to talk to us about something and wondered if now was a good time to come over?"

"Okay, have they had breakfast?" Joanne asked. She was more than willing to make more.

"I'll ask," said Roy. "Johnny, Joanne said now would be okay. Have you guys had breakfast yet or can Joanne fix you something?"

"Joanne's cooking is always appreciated! Tell her thanks. We'll see you in about 20 minutes."

"Okay. Bye now." Roy hung up the phone. He turned to his wife. "How can I help?"

Joanne had Roy poach eggs while she made hollandaise. Eggs benedict was one of Roy's favorite breakfasts and Jo didn't make it often. Roy was always very appreciative when she did. It was too fancy for the kids so Joanne had pulled some pigs in blanket out of the freezer and put them in the oven for them. She always made up extras when she served them for breakfast because they froze well and were easy to reheat and serve. Breakfast was just ready to serve when Johnny arrived with Sharon and Becca. She had Chris answer the door before heading off to wash his hands for breakfast.

"Hi! Come on in." Chris said, happy to see them all.

Sharon walked in holding Becca's hand and Johnny walked in carrying milk and orange juice.

"I stopped and picked these up, I figured they'd be gone in no time if I brought them." Johnny offered the items to Joanne. Joanne was taking thick round slices of Canadian bacon out of the oven as Johnny had approached.

"Johnny, you didn't have to do that, but thank you. That was very nice. Why don't you set them on the table, please?" She turned toward her kids. "It's time to wash up for breakfast, please turn the television off first." Chris flicked the knob on the television and the two kids disappeared down the hall. Sharon followed after them to help Becca wash up too.

Roy had managed to poach the eggs and set the table and was just finishing up the latter, setting napkins at each spot and placing a small stack of extras in the middle of the table. Kids and syrup necessitated many napkins. When Sharon returned from washing Becca's hands, she could only see the back of Roy who was standing mostly in the broom closet wrestling something out of it. Presently he emerged with a high chair. It had been Katie's but now it lived in the closet and only saw the light of day occasionally when one of Joanne's friends brought a little one over. Roy set it near the spots that he had set for Sharon and Johnny and before Becca was lifted into it, Roy wiped the seat and tray with a clean dishcloth to remove any dust from sitting. Becca was thrilled to have a special chair to sit in.

Once everyone was seated, Roy said grace for them all and plates were passed around. The kids were dished up helpings of pigs in a blanket and the adults passed around plates of toasted English muffins, Canadian bacon and poached eggs, building their own eggs benedict plates. Joanne had put the hollandaise in a large glass liquid measuring cup with a pour spout so that it could be served easily and that was passed around completing each adult's entrée.

The two families blended together nicely, as though they were always one big one and there was much happy conversation and laughter throughout the meal. Joanne was pleased to see that Roy and Johnny especially were enjoying their breakfasts. Roy would take a bite and close his eyes as he began to chew it. He always did that when food especially pleased him though Joanne doubted he even realized it. Still, it made her feel good to have made her husband happy. For Johnny's part, it was very obvious he liked it. That boy could eat! And he never gained an ounce! Joanne had given Roy a full dozen eggs to poach and even though only the adults ate them, there was only an empty plate after breakfast.

Chris had cleaned his plate well and Katie had about half of her second pig in a blanket left. "May we be excused?" Chris asked for the both of them.

"Drink you milk first please," his mother answered. She looked at Katie's plate. "Is that all you can do honey?" she asked. Katie nodded with an orange juice mustached face.

"Okay. Clear your plates then go wash your hands and faces before you go to play. Chris, please wash Becca's hands and face too then I would like the two of you to keep an eye on her while we talk. If you need anything, we'll be right here, in the kitchen." Joanne was appreciative that Chris was able to help out with Katie and Becca. Of course he was much too young to be left alone with them, but he did a fine job of babysitting when someone was around, just in case. And he never seemed to mind, either.

"Thank you, Chris." Roy and Johnny both said it at the same time causing Chris to grin because he thought it funny.

When the children were out of the room and the dishes had been cleared, coffee was poured for the four of them and they sat back down to talk. Roy started the conversation.

"Well, Johnny, what did you and Sharon want to talk to us about?" Joanne looked at Johnny, eager to know for herself. Johnny and Sharon passed a glance back and for the between them before Johnny took a breath and started to answer in classic Johnny fashion.

"Well, it's not that big of a deal really. Well, it is and it isn't. I mean, it could be, depending on how you look at it…"

"Johnny, why don't you tell us what it is and we can decide then if it is a big deal or not." Roy coaxed.

"Johnny, why don't I start?" Sharon came to his rescue. She looked at Joanne. "Johnny says that according to Roy you have been more tired with this pregnancy than you were with the others.

_Is Sharon pregnant and wanting advice? _Wondered Joanne. "Well, yes I have been kind of tired, but I'm older and I have two other children to look after now, too." Joanne explained it away.

"Of course, Joanne. We didn't mean you shouldn't be tired. We just were thinking about things and it came up. You see... Johnny and I are finally going to have Becca full time… No more bouncing back and forth between us and Aunt Tania."

"That's good news," said Roy, genuinely happy for them.

"Yes, it is. We're very happy about it…" continued Sharon.

"But?" said Roy, sensing a "but" would be there.

"But we have some issues with caring for her when we're both at work." Johnny finished for Sharon.

"What about the hospital daycare?" asked Joanne. Johnny was shaking his head "no" even before Joanne finished the sentence. All eyes turned to him as he was obviously going to have something to say about that.

"We would prefer to have Becca with someone we know… someone _she_ knows. We thought of hiring you to watch her, but we knew you were already kind of worn out with two and a half kids." Johnny kind of chuckled at his reference to the unborn child and the others did too. "Roy was telling me about how he'd like to hire someone to help you look after your two and help run them around to their little engagements and all."

Joanne was unaware that Roy had even considered that and she squeezed his hand in appreciation and smiled at him. Roy could see the appreciation and love reflected in her eyes and was happy that she was pleased with the thought, even though he had decided they could not afford it. Johnny continued speaking.

"Sharon and I were talking about it and we thought maybe we could hire someone, and then Becca could come here and the person we hired could help with all three. That way Becca would be in familiar surroundings, with someone we trust –namely you- and you could direct the nanny and rest as much as you needed to. She'd be able to take Becca on short errands, after they got to know each other of course, so you could have some time to yourself when the kids were at school, and it wouldn't cost you and Roy anything because we have to hire someone for Becca anyway."

John stopped speaking for a moment and the room was very quiet. It was so quiet that Johnny was afraid he had some how offended his best friends and anxiously sat there hoping somebody would say something. Roy looked at his wife and saw tears in her eyes. He reached out and wiped them away from her face with the pads of his thumbs. He was kind of choked up himself.

"We're sorry if we upset you, Joanne… "started Sharon, feeling kind of nervous herself. Roy held up a hand and cut her off.

Finding his voice he started to speak. "You didn't offend us. You just took us by surprise is all," he explained. He knew his partner was doing this partly for the reasons he said and partly because he had already confided to John his frustration at not being able to afford to hire help. He appreciated that John hadn't said anything about that.

"Johnny…" Emotion was thick on Joanne's voice as she addressed her friends. She was very touched at their thoughtfulness, realizing that this wasn't just intended to be about taking care of Becca. "Sharon, I… I don't know what to say. I'm very honored that you want me to take Becca. I just… I just cannot believe what a generous offer you've made me to do it. It will cost more to hire someone to watch three kids than someone to watch one."

"In the scheme of things, not that much," said John. "I've already looked into that. And it is worth it to keep Becca with family, so what do you think?"

Joanne hesitated and Sharon spoke up. "Johnny, maybe they want to talk about it before they give us an answer," she said softly.

This hadn't occurred to Johnny. "Oh… right. Well, how much time do you need? OW…" He hadn't even finished asking when Sharon kicked him from under the table. Johnny looked down for a moment. "What I meant was, would you like us to leave the room so you two can talk about it?" Roy was nodding yes before Johnny finished asking.

"Would you mind?" asked Joanne.

"Of course not!" Sharon stood up and pulled Johnny out by the hand. The two of them went to find the kids while Roy and Joanne talked.

* * *

Sharon and Johnny found the kids in Katie's room playing with Barbies. Chris hated Barbies but in the interest of keeping his charges happy, he played along half-heartedly. When their aunt and uncle stood in the doorway watching them, Katie took a moment to ask a question.

"Uncle Johnny, is it almost Christmas yet?" Katie asked impatiently. The tree was up, the house was decorated, the baking had been happening off and on for a week. It seemed like it should be here by now to Katie.

"Yes Princess, two more days until Santa comes."

"Is Christmas a Daddy day?" Katie asked, hopefully.

"Yes, this time it is." Johnny and Sharon were surprised when the smile fell from Katie's face and Chris looked concerned too.

"What's the matter you two? I thought you'd be happy your daddy will be home for Christmas."

"I don't have anything to put under the tree for Daddy," complained Katie as Chris nodded in agreement. As tired as she had been Joanne had never gotten around to taking the kids Christmas shopping.

"Really, we don't have anything for Mom either," Chris added.

Johnny and Sharon looked at each other. This would never do. "That's what Aunts and Uncles are for, Kiddo," said Johnny.

* * *

Back in the kitchen a serious discussion was taking place.

"Well, what do you think, honey?" asked Roy, hoping Joanne would agree to it.

Joanne was worried that Roy might feel badly about not being able to afford it. He hadn't told her about the idea of hiring help and she realized that it was because he had decided it wasn't doable for them. She knew how strongly he felt about providing for his family. When she didn't answer right away, Roy cupped the side of her face in one hand and turned her head to look eye to eye. "Honey?"

"Well, how do _you_ feel about it? You have to come home to an extra body in the house when you're already tired after work." She tried to give him an out if he didn't want to do this.

"I don't care about that. I care about you. Are you up to it? Do you think it would be helpful for you?"

That was Roy. Always caring about what others wanted and needed. "I… I think it would be really nice." Joanne answered a little timidly. Because Joanne was generally very self-assured, Roy realized that it was because she was trying to protect his feelings. He appreciated her for it.

"Good," he said enthusiastically. "I'll feel better knowing someone else is around when I'm not and that you can get the rest you need." That out of the way, the two of them felt more at ease and hugged for a long moment. Then Roy got up to let the others know they had come to a decision.

While Roy retrieved their friends, Joanne emptied everyone's coffee cups that varied in amounts of cold coffee and poured fresh brew in each, setting them back in their places. Johnny smiled at the sight of the steaming cup as he sat back down. He took a sip appreciatively and waited to hear the verdict. As Johnny and Sharon looked at the DeSoto's expectantly, Joanne let her husband take the lead.

"Johnny, Sharon… Joanne and I, we… we want you to know how much we appreciate your friendship." Still a bit overcome by emotion at the kindness of his partner and Sharon, he wasn't quite sure what he was going to say to them. He spoke from the heart and they could tell. "We want to thank you for your generous offer…"

_Oh no. He's gonna say no. What will we do with Becca? _Johnny was very surprised as the thoughts began running through his head. He hadn't planned for if they said no, and Johnny, Roy and Sharon all worked tomorrow! He didn't hear all of what Roy was saying but was tuned back in just in time to hear Roy ask, "So, when do we start this thing?"

As Johnny's brain began to register that Roy and Joanne had agreed, a crooked smile appeared and then a happy laugh. "Well awright! I knew this was a good idea. We need to start as soon as possible, but of course, we'll have to interview prospective candidates." He said.

"Oh brother," mumbled Roy. Roy realized that indeed interviews would have to take place, but his partner had a way of dramatizing every little detail when he had a plan and he could see the wheels turning already.

Johnny ignored him and kept on talking. "Actually, I know it is short notice, but we need someone for our shift tomorrow. I know we haven't hired anyone yet, but Sharon's cousin Amber is available and she's willing to come help tomorrow if that is okay with the two of you." Of course Roy and Joanne agreed.

* * *

Mike's arm was beyond asleep. It was so numb that when he willed it to move, he couldn't tell if it had without looking. He didn't care all that much. He was feeling more content than he ever remembered feeling before. Convincing Sam to wait had definitely been worth it.

Sam's skin was soft, smooth and warm against Mike's body. She slept peacefully on her side with her arm across Mike, using his arm for a pillow and she had a contented smile on her face. Mike did not sleep. He lay there watching Sam sleep for over an hour. When she awoke she simply opened her eyes and let out a happy sigh.

"Hi," Mike said softly.

Sam looked into Mike's eyes and smiled. "It wasn't a dream," she said and then hugged him. Mike reached across with his free arm to hug her back and she realized that his other arm must be asleep. "Oh, your arm!" She said with concern in her voice.

"What arm? I have more than one?" he teased. Sam sat up, turned and took Mike's numb hand in hers. She bent and flexed Mike's arm a few times then began to massage it to bring back the circulation. Mike groaned as the feeling slowly returned.

"We should go see Miss Millie," said Sam.

"Right after lunch," agreed Mike, sitting up.

"Are you hungry?

"Mmm hmmm," answered Mike as he began nibbling on her ear. Food wasn't on the horizon for the immediate future.

***Thanks for reading! Please leave me a review. I love reviews and constructive criticism is fine. I just want to know what you think. :D**


	10. Chapter 10

**And Then There Were Three**

**Chapter 10**

Johnny woke with Sharon curled up in his right arm and his left arm over his eyes before his alarm clock went off. He rarely needed the clock to wake him. Sharon set a separate alarm for herself because their schedules were different but more often than not, Johnny shut his off before it made a sound and by the time Sharon's went off, she too was already awake and snuggling with Becca.

Johnny never tired of waking with Sharon beside him, but his arm was uncomfortable from lack of circulation so he carefully slid it out from under her head, rolled to his side and held her with his other arm. She stirred a bit at the change but snuggled in and in a few minutes she was soundly sleeping once again.

Johnny slowly got out of bed and stretched. _It's Christmas Eve morning already. _Johnny thought happily about this being the first time in a long time that he would spend the holidays belonging to a family. Married life was definitely agreeing with him.

Johnny brushed his teeth, shaved then stepped into the shower. He was enjoying the hot water cascading over his body and thinking about how long it had been since he had gotten Chet's goat, vowing to himself to do so soon. Suddenly, his shower went ice cold without warning and he let out a little yelp of surprise.

"Oh, Showwy" Sharon said, toothbrush in her mouth. Johnny hastily finished rinsing his hair and stepped out of the shower. Sharon stood there with her freshly brushed smile, holding the towel for him. Johnny accepted the towel but instead of using it, he grabbed Sharon and pulled her against his dripping wet body, wrapping his arms tightly around her to prevent her escape. She let out a small laughing scream of surprise that was quickly muffled by Johnny's lips as he proceeded to kiss her passionately. Sharon stopped struggling and gave in to the heat of the moment. When Johnny let her go, her nighty was wet and sticking to her and Johnny was grinning like the devil he was.

Johnny took his towel with him and headed back into their bedroom to get dressed. Sharon followed him.

"What time do you want to leave?" she asked as she started picking out her outfit. Johnny thought that an odd question. He left at the same time every workday. In confusion he started to repeat the question out loud.

"What time do I want to…? Oh! Shoot! I forgot. Billy is covering for me this morning. I forgot we had a court appointment. Oh, man… I'm sorry." He felt badly about forgetting. He didn't know exactly what was to take place but it concerned his adoption of Becca and he didn't take that lightly.

"You were getting ready for work!" exclaimed Sharon, amused that he had forgotten. Johnny looked sheepish and remorseful at the same time. Sharon shook her head, smiling. "Eight o'clock? Will that be enough time?"

"Aaahh, yeah." Johnny said as he thought about the route they would take. They'd have to drop Becca off at the DeSoto's first. "Actually, better make it seven forty five." Johnny finished drying off and went to the closet to choose something appropriate for court then got dressed as Sharon went to get Becca up for the day.

*******************

Joanne got up with Roy Christmas Eve morning and as he showered, she prepared him a breakfast of poached eggs and toast with canned peaches. Roy came into the kitchen just as she was setting it on the table for him.

"Good morning, Beautiful," Roy said, wrapping his arms around her when she had set the plate down. He kissed her tenderly on the lips and then sat down at the table. He was already in uniform this morning and his wife smiled at the site of him. Joanne poured him a cup of coffee and sat down next to him.

"I wish you didn't have to work today," she said.

"Well, then I would have to work tomorrow. I was lucky this year." Roy replied.

"Yes, I know. I just want to keep L.A. County's most handsome and talented paramedic to myself sometimes."

Roy smiled at her as he reached for his coffee cup. He didn't know quite what to say to appease her at the moment so he changed the subject. "The kids sure were excited to go shopping with Johnny and Sharon yesterday, and I was glad they did. It gave me a chance to finish their gifts. Katie is getting so curious and wanting to shadow me everywhere I go. It was getting hard to find the time to work on things."

"She's definitely Daddy's little girl," chuckled Joanne. "Did you give Johnny any money?"

Roy looked surprised for just a moment then realized that Johnny would have given the kids money to shop. "Uh, no. I didn't." Roy reached into his back pocket to check his wallet. He surveyed the small stack of bills in its folds and gave a slight nod thinking he should have enough to cover it. "I'll square that up with him today."

Joanne put her hand on her husband's arm affectionately. "Thanks, Honey."

"Annie, your hands are cold!" Roy said with an involuntary jerk of surprise when she touched him. Joanne laughed at his startled response.

"You should feel my feet! They're so cold they're tingling."

"It's almost 70 degrees in here, why are you so cold?"

"It just happens sometimes. Wanna warm me up?" she answered playfully.

"That's a really nice offer and all," he said after swallowing a bite of toast. "But I'm afraid the citizens of LA County already made me an offer I can't refuse."

"Damn, I guess I'll have to settle for a hot water bottle… right after a cold shower. Men in uniform get me going and you, my love, are no exception." He wished very much that he did not have to go to work just then.

Roy used the last of his toast to sop up the remaining egg yolk on his plate, swallowed it and chased it with the last of his peaches. "Thanks for breakfast. I have to go. I'll call you later." Roy stood up and brought his dishes to the sink as Joanne also stood up. She waited for him to turn around and then embraced her husband.

"Have a good day, Roy. Stay safe."

"That's the plan," he said. He bent down and gave her a fiery kiss. She was already headed for a cold shower... he might as well make it worth it. Too bad he didn't have time for one himself.

Roy let go of his wife reluctantly and headed out the door. As he got ready to climb into his car, a green VW bug pulled into the drive and Roy recognized Amber as she climbed out of the passenger side.

"Good morning Mr. DeSoto," she said, waving.

"Good morning, Amber." Roy gave a little wave back, waved at Tania in the car, and then got in his own car and went to work.

* * *

Chet arrived just before roll call as usual and was afraid to open his locker, worried that his stalker might have already been there. Marco slapped him jovially on the back from behind.

"Hey Chet, have you heard anything more from your stalker?" He was genuinely interested. Chet jumped almost out of his shirt when Marco touched him.

"Geez, Man! You didn't have to sneak up on me like that."

"Kind of jumpy, aren't you, Chet?" Roy asked as he opened his locker.

"You'd be jumpy too if you had some crazy broad after you!" retorted Chet.

"Chet, what on earth are you talking about?" came Sam's voice from behind her curtain in the next row.

"Chet's secret admirer has been leaving stuff in his car and at his apartment. She knows where he lives," informed Marco, sounding excited.

"That's creepy," said Stoker. "You better watch yourself. That kind of thing could really get out of hand."

"Don't I _know_ it?" Chet opened his locker slowly and, not seeing anything out of the ordinary he quickly got changed, just in time for roll call.

Before long A-shift was lined up while Hank inspected his crew carefully. Of course they were all in uniform but Hank always looked them over to make sure they looked healthy too. He noticed that Chet looked particularly tired. "How are you this morning, Kelly?" he asked.

"Fine Cap. Why do you ask?" He tried to look nonchalant while he felt his captain scrutinizing him.

"No reason. It's just a question." He made a mental note to keep an eye on Chet and thought perhaps he'd ask his engineer to do the same. He glanced down at the clipboard in his hands. Before giving announcements he let out a sigh. He did not want to give the next one but still it had to be done. He knew his men wouldn't be thrilled.

"Well men… now that the city council has made public their decisions, the media is again all over us. I assure you Dick Friend has been more selective in deciding whom to grant interviews and ride-alongs to. We will not have a repeat of a few months ago." He paused to see what kind of response he was getting. Sam seemed to have stepped back a bit and both she and Roy were biting their lower lips, Mike's hands were balled up into fists and the others just looked concerned except Billy who was basically clueless in this situation.

"At least, we know the reporter this time." Hank tried to put as positive a spin on things as possible. "And Dick had the impression that the media's opinion was favorable towards the pilot program."

"That's good. It gets old having to fight to prove the value of para-medicine all the time. We could use a few cheer leaders."

"Roy, I wouldn't use that term again if I were you. She won't like it." Hank warned his senior paramedic.

"She who?" asked Billy.

"Kristy." The men started to protest but Hank cut them off. "Now hang on a minute and let's think about this together, shall we?" When the crew was once again quiet he asked them, "Now what was it Kristy seemed to want most when she was here last time?"

"To make us look like fools," answered Chet.

"To single handedly put out every fire we got called to," Marco added.

"Exactly!"

All eyes looked at Hank as though he were a little crazy. His point went over their heads as they thought about what a menace the reporter had been to them on her last visit. Hank let the silence linger a moment.

When the light bulb went off it was from Roy. "Kristy wanted to prove women could do this job as well as men." Roy said.

"That's exactly why I agree she's perfect for the job," Hank shared.

"The article she finally printed was favorable to the department, even if it was hell having her around," Mike pointed out.

"You have no idea," said Roy.

"Well, embrace it gentlemen." Sam knew that meant her too. Hank always felt weird about addressing his crew now that Sam was there. He liked having her there but it still felt awkward at times like this. She never made any kind of fuss about it though and in fact insisted that he didn't make a big deal out her being female, and he was grateful. "Kristy will be arriving here today sometime to reacquaint herself with us all. Any questions?"

Nobody had any questions they were willing to ask so Hank moved on to the next item of business. "On a positive note, we should be receiving the paramedic equipment for the Engine today. Since it will be here on our shift, Stoker, you and Anderson will be deciding where to put it. I have a list of recommendations from the other shifts, as well as the list the two of you made. Consult it and figure out what works." Hank then gave out assignments for the day and informed them that in place of drill this shift they would be doing fit testing for their SCBA masks and as a group they would be familiarizing themselves with where the new equipment was kept on the Engine. Unfortunately for the crew, the C-shift had been particularly busy the night before and the rigs needed to be restocked and scrubbed at the beginning of this shift. Nobody was on Cap's list this time around and Roy was unfortunate enough to be drawn for latrine duty. He rolled his eyes, out of site of his captain of course, and then set out to take inventory of the supplies in the squad with Billy. Some things just had priority.

Marco and Chet started on cleaning Big Red. Mike pulled her out onto the apron before getting together with Sam to go over the lists of recommendations while they enjoyed fresh coffee at the table, much to the chagrin of Marco and Chet who had to employ elbow grease to carry out their duties. Chet set up the hose and started spraying the rig down while Marco filled a bucket with soapy water. When the engine was thoroughly rinsed down the two men began to scrub from opposite ends of one side of her.

Once the inventory of supplies on the squad was complete, Billy set up the biophone for the daily calibrations while Roy pulled the squad forward for its bath. He filled another bucket and he and Billy went to work scrubbing her down. Roy noticed a shiny red sports car park on the street just past the station and was watching when a tall red-head got out, opened the back seat and fiddled for a moment, then emerged with a camera. She shut the doors to the car and walked toward the station, her eyes on Big Red and the men washing her down.

She walked up to Chet, who's back was to her. "Fireman Kelly, right?" she said.

Chet knew that soft Irish lilt and had been hoping to hear from her again. He turned around with a big smile. "Miss Peters. What brings you here this fine morning?" Marco and stared with amazement. For a guy who was so afraid of a stalker, Chet sure seemed happy to see Miss Peters.

"Well, you guys had to leave last time and you said I could have a tour so I thought I'd see if today might work out better, if your offer is still open."

"Yeah, Yeah of course. We uh, have to finish some things first but I'd be happy to show you around." Chet was grinning widely, obviously pleased she had returned.

"Oh, I don't want to keep you from your duties. Should I come back later?"

"No!" answered Chet too quickly. "I mean… you don't have to. Once this baby's fit for duty, we can stop to show you around. The other stuff can wait a while. Can't it Marco?" He looked Marco's direction for support.

"Sure, Amigo. It can wait."

"Great! Mind if I watch you work and maybe take a few photographs?"

"Sure, go right ahead." Chet gave her his best smile and returned to washing the Engine. Susan watched and took a few pictures. She took some pictures of the station from the apron as well. She looked over at Johnny and Roy washing the squad and approached them.

"Excuse me," she said to Roy.

"Yes ma'am?" he acknowledged her politely.

"Would you and your partner mind if I photographed you working?"

"Sure, go ahead. Are you taking them for any reason in particular?" He was curious.

"Well, I'm just getting into photography, but I've always had sort of a thing for… this sounds silly I'm sure but… I've always had kind of a thing for the fire department. I love the shiny equipment and you guys, you're so…" she blushed and paused for a moment. "You're so handsome in your uniforms. I just thought I might as well pick a subject I enjoyed to learn photography."

"Oh, well, I don't think it's silly… not at all. Everybody has different things that interest him or her. Take all the pictures you want." Roy went back to scrubbing the squad.

"Thank you. You're all so accommodating." Roy smiled and shrugged as he lifted the windshield wiper to wash the glass underneath it.

Chet and Marco finished with the Engine and walked over to Susan. "Miss Peters, if you would like that tour now, I'd be happy to show you around."

"Please, call me Sue."

"Okay, Sue. Would you like some coffee before we get started?" Chet offered.

"Yes please. That would be lovely." Sue followed Chet and Marco followed Sue into the day room. Mike and Sam were just getting up and ready to head to the Engine to make space for the equipment they were expecting.

"Hey, look who came back for a visit," Marco said.

"Miss Peters, nice to see you. Lunch was great," said Mike.

"Oh, it was just a small way of saying thank you. I hope I didn't over step my boundaries. You all were so kind to me… and please, call me Sue."

"Come back for the tour Sue?" asked Sam.

"Yes. I was disappointed you had to run last time."

"Well, maybe we'll have better luck this time. Have fun." Sam smiled and then excused Mike and her self to the apparatus bay.

As Mike and Sam stepped into the bay, Ed Clemons, a fire department training officer stepped in the door from the back lot. He had with him a defibrillator, drug box and trauma box for the engine. Sam stepped over to help him carry his load.

"Hello Ed. It's good to see you. Looks like you could use a hand."

"Thanks, Anderson. How do you like it here at 51's? I heard they made you a permanent fixture here." They set the equipment down next to the Engine.

"I like it. They keep me busy and I think this pilot program is a great idea."

"Good deal," answered Ed. "I think it has the potential to save a lot of lives."

"I agree. Did you bring an OB kit?" Yes and a few other things. They're still in the truck." Sam and Mike followed him out to get them. In short order al the new supplies were brought in, Ed left and Mike and Sam put everything away on the Engine.

"Now the real work begins," said Mike referring to the hoses that needed scrubbing and hanging. Sam nodded and the two of them headed out to the yard to start on it.

* * *

As Chet finished up the tour with Sue, Hank stepped out of his office and saw her.

"Miss Peters, nice to see you again."

"Thank you Captain. You can call me Sue." She felt awkward with everyone speaking to her so formally and hoped they would take it to heart as she requested a less formal approach.

"Well Sue it is. To what do we owe your visit today?"

"She came back for a tour, Cap." Chet answered.

"Oh, fine then. Carry on." Hank stepped aside to let them pass and Chet, Sue and Marco ended up back in the day room. With the tour completed, neither Chet nor Sue quite knew what to talk about and it started to feel a bit awkward. Marco excused himself to the washroom to avoid the awkwardness of the moment.

"Well, I've taken up too much of your time. I should be going. Thank you for the tour." Sue said.

"Oh, it was nothing. I'm glad you stopped by." Chet tried to make conversation to prolong her visit. He liked her. He was in her way to get to the doorway and seemingly oblivious to the fact.

"I'm glad too. I had a good time." She felt dumb. It sounded like the end of a date, she thought. She waited for him to move out of her way but he just stood there. "Excuse me," she said, gesturing toward the doorway with her head.

"Oh, sorry. Can I walk you out to your car?" It was a question he wasn't expecting an answer to and Sue realized it. He was walking her out weather she wanted him to or not. In fact, she did.

When they got to Sue's car she thanked Chet again. Chet opened her car door for her and she got in after setting her camera on the passenger seat. "Fireman Kelly…" Sue started.

"Please, it's Chet."

Sue smiled. "Chet, this might seem forward, but… would you like to go out with me sometime?"

"Would I?" Chet said with awe. "Yeah. How about tomorrow?"

"Uhm... tomorrow is Christmas." Sue was embarrassed for Chet knowing that he obviously was as taken with her as she was with him. He wasn't thinking clearly out of nervousness.

"Right. Of course it is. But how about the day after? I'm off. Would you like to see a movie or something?"

"Yes, I'd like that. Do you have something to write with? I'll give you my number."

Chet felt his pockets and realized he didn't have anything. "Hang on one second. I'll be right back." He ran back into the station and the first person he saw was Roy putting a broom back in the closet.

"Hey Roy, can I borrow a pen and some paper? Sue's gonna give me her number." Roy rolled his eyes and handed him the pad and pen out of his shirt pocket. "Thanks, man."

* * *

Johnny showed up at the station just as Billy and Roy were returning from a run. He was grinning his fool head off and very animated as he greeted Billy at the door to the squad and thrust a cigar in his hand.

"How ya doin', Billy? Have a cigar!"

"I don't smoke, Johnny," said Billy, somewhat taken aback.

"Well you should. I became a father today." Johnny had already come around the front of the squad and thrust one at Roy as well. Roy just tucked it in his pocket.

"The adoption is completed?" he asked.

"Yep. She's my daughter now." Johnny answered proudly.

"Congratulations, Johnny," said Billy.

"Thanks man, and hey, thanks for covering for me. I owe you." Johnny slapped his friend on the back.

"This one's on me. Congratulations again. See you guys around."

"Hey, it was nice getting to work with you again, Billy. See you around." Roy gave Billy a wave as he headed into the day room.

Chet was at the stove making some concoction for lunch and the rest of the crew were at the table looking at a diagram on the blackboard that had been crudely drawn by Mike and labeled by Sam as to where the new equipment was being kept.

"Glad you could join us today, John," Hank teased.

"Funny Cap. You knew I'd be here." He pushed his cigars onto the rest of the crew. "I'm a father. She's mine. I bet none of you will get a better Christmas present than that."

"That'd be a tough one to beat, all right," agreed Mike.

For the next thirty minutes, the crew endured Johnny's ninety-mile-a-minute chatter all about the adoption process. A prouder father there never was.

***Thanks for reading and reviewing. Your comments and suggestions inspire me. Hotflash**


	11. Chapter 11

**And Then There Were Three**

**Chapter 11**

Kristy had been waiting in her parked car for several hours. Her plan had been to catch them at lunch, but she had gotten called to some breaking news and arrived late in the afternoon, only to find the station empty. She left and came back but still she had waited a long time for them to return. Reporting just wasn't a banker's hours kind of job. Eventually boredom caused her to succumb to sleep and she dozed in her car. When she heard the engine roll in, she awoke and hurried herself in before the bay door went down.

It was late in the evening and Mike backed the Engine in carefully, spotted by Sam who held her hand up to signal the Engine was in position. Mike hopped down from the driver's seat, took off his turnout coat and hung it on the door. He closed the door only slightly, leaving everything in the ready for the next call. It was after eight, and nobody had eaten yet because the last call came in before dinner.

"Stoker showers first." Cap hollered as he stepped into his office, ushering Kristy in with him. He was thinking of his stomach. As soon as Mike was cleaned up, he would finish preparing dinner while the others cleaned up. Right now, however, he had to lay out the rules to a feisty reporter with a history at 51's.

Chet felt like he was starving so he went to his locker where he had stashed a few Hershey's bars. Right away when he opened his locker, he knew something wasn't right. Instead of 2 clean uniform shirts hanging side by side, there was only one. At the bottom of his locker was a bunch of pink torn up paper that appeared to have some sort of flowery handwriting on it. Chet could smell the familiar perfume he had smelled on previous notes left by his secret admirer.

"What the…. GAGE!! I'm gonna kill him! Where is my shirt?" Chet was sure it was one of the guys now. This was just too bizarre. He snatched up the pieces of pink paper out of his locker and as he was about to slam the door shut he noticed a piece of plain notebook paper folded in half and tacked to the inside of the door. It had a big sad face on the front of it in red lipstick. Chet snatched it off the door, slammed his locker closed and stormed off to the dayroom table. Marco was in there and having washed up some at the sink he was setting the table to try and expedite dinner.

"He's gone too far this time!" Chet fumed as he shoved a plate aside and slammed the contents of his hands onto the table.

"Who has?" asked Marco, concerned for his friend.

"Gage! He didn't just leave a mushy note in my locker, he left a torn up note, stole one of my shirts and left another note tacked to my door!" Marco's eyes surveyed the assortment on the table as Chet grumbled.

"Chet, Johnny didn't put that note in your locker. Not the pink one anyway. But it wasn't torn up when I put it there."

Chet's eyes nearly bulged out of his head as he heard his friend confess to putting something in his locker. "When you WHAT?"

"Chet, I'm… I'm sorry, pal. I didn't mean any harm. I just passed on a couple or three notes is all. I was gonna tell you. Especially after you told me someone left a note at your house, but I didn't want to do it with all the guys around. I was gonna tell you after our shift, honest. You gotta believe me."

"You mean, you put some notes in my locker, but you didn't have anything to do with the one at my house?" Chet was trying to make sense of it all.

"No way, Amigo. I swear, I didn't have anything to do with that." Marco felt terrible about what seemed to be happening. Chet apparently had a secret admirer _and_ a stalker.

"Tell me the truth, Man. Did you ever put anything in my car?" Chet demanded.

"No way! I never did anything more than put a few notes in your locker from Big Red."

"Big Red? Who's Big Red?" Chet asked, but even as he said it, the answer started to dawn on him. "_Come __**dance**__ with me_," he repeated, recalling the last note he had read. Of course! Big Red was the dancer from that call they had gone on months ago. Her friend, a blonde woman, had fainted from hypoglycemia. The club owner had been none too compassionate. Big Red was the one who liked mustaches. Chet had promised to catch her show and then he never did. "Big Red is the belly dancer chick!"

"Chet, I don't think the note in your car and the note at home were from her. And I _know_ that note you have on the table with the lipstick on it isn't hers. Someone had to have been in the station!" Chet and Marco both felt sick to their stomachs as Marco verbalized it.

"What on earth are you men talking about and why do you look like you've seen a ghost, Chet?" Cap and Kristy had just entered the room.

"I think Chet has a real live stalker, Cap." Marco informed his superior. Both Cap and Kristy's eyes widened and clearly they both wanted to hear more.

"And why do we think that?" asked Cap. The sound of the squad returning was heard but nobody allowed it to be a distraction.

"I've been getting notes and flowers and stuff from a secret admirer." Chet started to explain.

"So. It isn't uncommon for the public to bring tokens of appreciation to a fire station from time to time." Cap wasn't yet concerned. Kristy stood by, listening intently.

"Yeah, well, I found a note in my car and after the last shift there was a note on my apartment door!" Now Cap was concerned.

"Any indication of who they were from?" asked Kristy. Chet wished she wasn't here nosing around while he was the center of attention. He was a little shook up and a little embarrassed.

"No. Only now I think there's two of 'em. Marco has admitted to putting some of them in my locker from that foxy red headed dancer chick that liked me when we went to that call for the other dancer who fainted." As Cap recollected the call Chet was talking about, the recognition showed in his expression.

"So this dancer has been leaving you notes?" Kristy asked.

"And chocolates!" added Marco, helpfully.

"Oh, so you figured out who your secret admirer was?" Johnny chimed in on the conversation as he and Roy came into the day room, having only heard a fraction of what was going on.

"Admire-_ers_! It seems Romeo has _two_ admirers." Cap corrected his paramedic.

"Far out! Way to go, Chet. You're getting to be a regular Casanova."

"I wouldn't congratulate him just yet, John. One of them at least, seems to be stalking him," Cap said.

"You're kidding," said Roy who had stood there silently till now.

"Let's just try and figure this out, fellas." Cap instructed Chet to make a list of everything he had received and any details he could remember. Once he had done that, he and Marco went through it and Marco told him which ones he knew were from Big Red. The only thing they were unsure of was the bouquet of flowers. Big Red always perfumed her notes. That made it easy. The card in the flowers was not perfumed but Chet wasn't sure about it anyway.

"Do you still have the card?" asked Kristy.

"Yeah, it's in my car," Chet admitted.

"Well, go get it. We can compare the handwriting."

"Good idea, Kristy." Chet got up and jogged out to his car. While he was out, Kristy picked up the note with the red sad face on it, opened it and read it aloud.

"_Chet, how could you? Don't you know that we are meant to be_?" It was signed, "_S.A_."

"This woman sounds dangerous." Kristy stated the blatantly obvious.

When Chet returned with the card he saw the stunned look on all of the faces in the room. Kristy filled him in, and Mike too as he had just come from his shower.

"Chet, I want you to report this to law enforcement. I think Kristy's right and you need to take steps to protect yourself." He turned to his paramedics. "Get cleaned up. I'm standing the squad down for 20 minutes. Keep the showers short, there are still 4 more of us to go." With that he dismissed them and they headed off to clean themselves up.

Kristy took the card from the flowers and studied it a moment. She looked at the sad faced note. "This is definitely the same person. Your flowers were from your stalker."

"Come on Chet, let's use the phone in my office." Hank wasn't about to wait another second to get the police involved.

As the two men exited the room, Kristy and Sam were given a proper introduction by Marco who then got to work helping Mike get the salad made and get the noodles cooked for the spaghetti. The sauce had been made already and was in a large cast iron pot in the oven. With any luck, they would be eating in the next half hour. Kristy and Sam had not gotten very far into their conversation when Johnny returned from his shower. Kristy looked up from where she was sitting at the table.

"Well if it isn't Johnny Boy himself," she said dramatically.

"Well if it isn't the worlds most daring and tenacious reporter, in the flesh!" retorted Johnny in return. The two chuckled and Johnny put his hand out. She took it and they shook hands, Johnny adding an extra little squeeze at the end. "Good to see you again… I think."

"Funny! I see you boys finally got some sense and brought a woman in to show you how things really ought to be done," she said.

"Sam is a great addition to our team, Kristy. But I still say that this job isn't for just any woman." Johnny spoke his mind. Kristy started to look flustered and opened her mouth to speak when Sam intervened.

"You're absolutely right, John. It _isn't_ for just any woman. It is for women who are willing to work twice as hard to be thought of as half as good as their male counterparts…" Kristy's expression turned to one of approval and she nodded vigorously as Sam spoke. "…I learned that as a vollie. But what I learned here at 51's was that when I showed I was willing to work, not expecting any one to treat me any differently than the rest of the guys and I was willing to do whatever it took for the good of the team and the good of the citizens, and when I was able to learn from my mistakes and from my peers that I was accepted as well as anyone else here. I wouldn't trade this for anything. And I wouldn't ask just any of my girlfriends to come join the fire department. It's a dirty, messy very unglamorous job. And it's hard. That's what makes it good. If you don't have the passion for it, if you aren't willing to work hard, if you can't take a joke or constructive criticism without taking it personally, then this isn't the job for you, female, male or otherwise!"

When Sam looked around the room she saw Kristy with her mouth agape, and she saw the entire crew standing in the room or in the doorway watching her with looks of approval on their faces. Then Chet began clapping and the others followed suit. Sam hadn't even noticed when Chet and Cap had returned from the office.

"Well said, Sam!" Roy walked over and patted her on the back. "She's right. It isn't about being a man or a woman. It's about having the physical and mental ability and passion to do the job. And Sam here is a damn fine firefighter and paramedic."

"She certainly is," agreed Captain Stanley. "Stoker, how long until chow?"

"'Bout fifteen minutes, Cap, give or take a minute or two."

"Good. Chet, hit the shower, Marco you go right after him. Make it snappy. After supper Sam can have hers and I'll go last." Having supper would let the water heat back up and maybe, if he and Sam were both lucky, they'd get _hot_ showers.

Chet and Marco left the room. Kristy tried to engage the others in conversation to reveal what kinds of challenges they had faced since Sam had come on board. When the two linemen were freshly showered and the food was on the table, all sat down ready to enjoy a long over due meal. Just as Mike set a plateful of food in front of Chet, the doorbell rang. Captain Stanley got up to answer the door, letting the two uniformed officers in. He brought them to his office and called Chet in to tell them all that had been happening and answer any questions they had. Mike covered Chet's plate and put it in the warmer oven. He fixed a plate for Hank and did the same.

After supper everyone helped clean up the kitchen. It was too late and they were too tired to decide by hands of poker. Kristy thanked Mike for the meal and told them she'd be back with their next shift. She wished them all Merry Christmas and took her leave with Johnny walking her out. Sam hit the shower while Cap and Chet finished their food and then Cap took his shower too. By ten o'clock, the station was dark and quiet. The crew hoped for a quiet night. The engine crew was fortunate enough to have only one run. The squad ran out 3 times between eleven and three but both paramedics finally got to settle in after that until the wake up tones.

* * *

On Christmas morning, the B-shift guys came in extra early to relieve the A-shift. It was their own Christmas gift to their friends. They had enjoyed their family Christmas on Christmas Eve already. Roy gave his counterpart an appreciative slap on the back and wished him Merry Christmas, then hurried home to his family.

Joanne had kept the kids up as late as she possibly could so that they would sleep in a bit in the morning. She wanted Roy to be able to rest a bit before the festivities began. She had also prepared a breakfast casserole for morning. It was made with eggs, milk and cheese and bacon and bread that soaked overnight before you baked it. She had added mushrooms and onions to it. She was glad her kids liked them because Roy loved them.

Roy was quiet when he got home, hoping to find the family still asleep so that he could have a little time before things got crazy. He took off his jacket and hung it in the closet then went to the kitchen. Looking in the refrigerator he spied the casserole and took it out, setting it on the counter. He turned on the oven to pre-heat it and started some coffee. He looked in the freezer and found some apple juice so he made that up to go with breakfast. Then he went out to the garage. He had made Chris and Katie each a Christmas present and kept them hidden there. He brought them into the house and arranged them at the Christmas tree in wait of two sleepy kids. He went back out to the garage and took Joanne's presents out of a tool closet where he had stashed them. He checked the oven and put the casserole in to bake. Then he went to join his wife and catch a snooze before the kids got up –he hoped.

Roy stripped down to his boxers and tee shirt and slid into bed along side Joanne. She opened her eyes when she felt his weight shift the bed and smiled then scooted close to him. Roy snuggled with her laying one hand on her belly hoping to feel the baby. He wasn't disappointed and he sighed happily as he lay there comfortably.

"Merry Christmas!" Joanne said to Roy.

"Merry Christmas to you, Mrs. DeSoto."

Before long, Roy was snoring and Joanne was also sleeping when there was a pounce on the bed. Katie had gotten up and come straight to Mom and Dad so they wouldn't sleep through Christmas.

"Easy Princess, come on up here but be careful not to bonk your mother." Roy held one hand out of the covers to help Katie scoot up. As she crawled across the bed, Joanne woke up and realized Katie was joining them. She scooted over to let her daughter take the middle. Katie wiggled in and hugged her Daddy.

"Daddy, it's Christmas!" she said with excitement and wonder in her voice.

"I know. I wonder if Santa came. Have you been a good little girl?" Roy asked her.

Katie looked very serious. "I tried to."

"I know you did, Sweetheart. You did a fine job." Roy praised her.

"You're a very good girl, Katie and a big help to me." Joanne added.

"Is it present time yet?" Katie asked her parents.

"Not yet. Chris is still sleeping." Roy answered her. He had barely gotten the words out of his mouth when Chris walked into his parents' room.

"No I'm not. Can we start now?"

"Why don't you two go start with your stockings and your dad and I will join you in a few minutes. " The two kids squealed with delight as Katie scrambled to get back out of the bed and then the two raced down the hall to the living room.

When they got there, both gasped suddenly and then were quiet as they stood there staring. Under the tree was a beautiful wooden doll cradle and it was just the right size to hold a real newborn sized baby. Next to it was a small wooden box. It had a handle on its lid, which was hinged with bright brass hinges. In the top of the lid were carved Chris' initials. The box was open and it had a tray that rested inside, with various compartments in it. It was lined with felt. Both kids wanted to go right to the unwrapped items they saw under the tree but they had only been given permission to get into the stockings. They looked at each other then back at the presents. Chris started to go for the presents but Katie reminded him of what their parents had said.

"Chris, Mom said we could have our stockings. I can't reach mine. Would you please get it down for me?"

"Right," said Chris. He stepped to the mantle and took the stocking down for his little sister, then took his own down too before sitting down on the floor and dumping it out to see what was inside.

The moment that Roy entered the living room, Katie bombarded him with questions. "Daddy, did you see what Santa left under the tree? Daddy can we have the unwrapped presents now? Is Uncle Johnny coming over? Is Aunt Sammy coming cause Uncle Johnny's our uncle and he always comes so shouldn't she since she's our aunty?

"Whoa, slow down, Katie-bug. Finish looking at what is in your stocking while I start a fire in the fireplace. When it's going and your Mom's ready we'll open presents. Uncle Johnny and Aunt Sharon and Becca will be coming over for dinner and so will Aunt Sammy." Roy built the fire up in the fireplace and Joanne set the table for breakfast and poured herself and Roy each a cup of coffee. She made cocoa for the kids and carried the hot drinks in on a tray, setting them down on the coffee table.

"Okay, kiddos. Here's some cocoa for you, be careful, it's hot." Joanne sat down next to Roy on the couch to watch the kids.

"Chris, you're Santa's helper. You get to get the presents out from under the tree and bring them to everyone," Roy assigned his son.

"Okay Dad." Chris went to the tree and took out a medium sized box. He looked at the tag. It said, _To my beautiful wife. _"That one is for Mom," he said as he brought it to her. Joanne set it on the couch next to her.

"Aren't you going to open it, Mom?" asked Chris.

"I thought I'd wait until you got all the gifts passed out then we could take turns."

Chris shrugged as though he thought his mother was nuts, but who was he to argue? He took all the presents out one by one and delivered them to the correct recipients until all that was left under the tree were the two unwrapped gifts.

"Go ahead, Chris. You know who they're for," Roy encouraged.

Chris smiled broadly as he reached out and picked up the doll cradle and carried it over to Katie. He went back for the wooden box. He sat at his pile of gifts and looked to his parents.

"Katie's youngest, she can go first," said Joanne. Katie didn't waste any time. She examined the doll cradle. The cradle was beautifully carved and Roy had stained it and varnished it so it shone in the light with the natural beauty of the wood grain showing through. Katie noticed that at the foot of the cradle her own initials were carved into the wood.

"K G D, that's me!" Katie exclaimed. "This is a very pretty dolly cradle, but it's too big for my Barbies."

"You could fit a whole lot of Barbies in that cradle," chuckled Roy. "What else did Santa bring you?" Katie reached for a small box and unwrapped it. Inside was a small hand mirror and matching hairbrush. Next she opened a package containing a new dress and matching shoes and hair ribbons. Another package contained books. She got a bunch of art supplies in another package. Finally she was down to one package. When she unwrapped it she found a shoebox from her dad's work boots.

"Boots? Why did Santa bring me boots? The picture looks like _your_ boots, Daddy."

"Why don't you open it and see if that is what's inside, Katie?" suggested Joanne.

Katie opened it and inside, wrapped in a flannel baby blanket was a newborn sized baby doll complete with a newborn cap, onesie and cotton snap-on diaper. When she picked it up she saw two baby bottles, a pacifier and more tiny cotton diapers.

"I got a baby! It's beautiful!" Katie exclaimed. "I'm gonna take really good care of it." Carefully she cradled the baby in her arms and started to rock it.

Roy and Joanne looked at each other and Roy said to her, "I think it was a hit."

"I think you're right."

Next it was Chris's turn to open his gifts. He went straight for the wooden box first. He looked at the outside and admired the shiny brass hinges and the carved initials. He lifted the divided tray out of the box and saw that there was lots of storage room underneath it. The bottom of the box was also lined with green felt. "I guess it's a tool box, right Dad?" asked Chris. Roy nodded. "I really like it. It's cool. I guess I'll have to save my allowance and get some tools for it now."

"You still have more presents," Joanne reminded him.

Chris opened some more packages. He found a hammer, a screwdriver set, a pair of pliers, a tape measure, different gauges of sandpaper and a container with different sizes of nuts, bolts, screws, washers and nails. He also found a new canteen, a pocketknife and a pair of slacks, dress shirt and new shoes and a model fire engine. When he had opened everything, he started re-arranging his tools into his toolbox.

"Looks like Santa's on a roll." Joanne squeezed her husband's hand that she had been holding.

"What'd Santa bring you?" Roy asked her.

"Open that one first, Mama!" exclaimed Katie as she pointed to a small box. "It's from me."

Joanne smiled at her daughter who was clearly as excited to watch Mom open presents as she had been to open her own. She picked up the small package and tore the paper off. She opened the square white box and looked inside. She found a silver charm bracelet with five charms. There was a small silver little girl, a little boy, a baby bottle, a fire helmet and small smiling sun. As she admired the charms Katie explained what each one was for.

"That one is me, that one is Chris and the bottle is for the baby, the fireman hat is for Daddy and the sun is you, Mama."

"Why did you pick a sun?" asked Joanne.

"Because it is smiling and when you smile it makes me feel warm like the sun," explained Katie.

"Sweetie, it's perfect. I love it." She motioned for her daughter to come to her and she gave her a big hug. "Thank you, baby. I love you."

"I love _you_, Mommy."

Joanne looked down at the small pile of gifts she had next to her. "Which one is from you Chris?" He pointed and she picked it up next. The box was long and thin. She unwrapped it and opened the box carefully. Inside was a puka shell necklace. It was ivory colored shells with darker ones about every inch or so. Hanging from the center of it was a peace symbol cut from thick shell, about an inch in diameter.

"Chris, this is beautiful and very fashionable. Can you help Mommy put it on?" Chris came over and helped her with it. "Thank you, Son. I love it. I'm a lucky Mom to have such thoughtful kids."

Joanne opened her other packages and found a bathrobe and slippers in one. The next package was small and when she opened it, it took her breath away. Inside was a necklace. It was a white gold 18-inch necklace of alternating ruby and diamond hearts. Looking closer she noticed that there were matching ruby earrings. "Oh, Roy! These are gorgeous!" She reached over and hugged her husband then planted a big kiss on him before letting go.

"Mom, open the last one," said Chris pointing to a medium sized box on the couch. Joanne opened the box, which was kind of heavy. Inside she found a wooden jewelry box that Roy had made himself. It was tall and had a compartment on top with a lift up lid. Inside the top compartment the lid had a mirror attached and the compartment was lined with black velvety fabric and had three compartments and a section that was padded slots for rings. Below the top compartment it had two little doors that opened. The doors had floral carvings in them and little brass knobs. She pulled the compartment open and saw that there were hooks on a swivel so that she could turn it, attached to the top of the compartment. There were also hooks on the sides of the compartment. Below that were two drawers. Joanne opened the top one and saw it was lined with the same velvety fabric that the top compartment was lined with. She tried to open the second drawer and realized it was a false front. She looked on the back of the jewelry box and found a small key crank. She wound it and it played "Music Box Dancer."

"Roy, you made this for me?" Joanne couldn't believe it. It was so beautiful, even more beautiful than the ones she had eyed in the Sears catalog when she made her Christmas list.

"Well, Johnny helped with some of it," he confessed. "I'm really glad you like it, I know you wanted the one in the catalog…"

Joanne interrupted him. "This is so much nicer! I can't believe how beautiful it is and that you made it. You are amazing! I love this. And now I have new jewelry from all of you to put inside my new jewelry box."

"Daddy, it's your turn." Katie wanted to see her Daddy open his presents too. Roy decided to open the one from Chris first since Joanne had opened the one from Katie first. He found the one with the tag indicating it was from his son and proceeded to open it. It was a box about as wide as his hand and about two inches deep. When he opened the box he lifted the tissue paper inside to reveal a brown leather wallet. It was monogrammed with a "D". Roy opened it up and looked inside to see what kinds of folds and pockets it had. He smelled it. Something about new leather was just irresistible to smell.

"Chris, this is a very nice wallet and I needed a new one too. Thank you, Son."

"You're welcome, Dad. Uncle Johnny said he saw your old one was falling apart so that's why I got it."

"Well, he was right. Thank you." Roy opened the box from Katie next. It was a shirt box and inside it had a black tee shirt with a gold trophy on the back. Above the trophy it said, "World's Best Dad".

"Do you like it Daddy? I picked it out all by myself. Uncle Johnny readed the words to me. I knew it said Daddy but I didn't know what the other words were. When he readed it I said I wanted you to have it because you are the bestest Daddy ever."

"And you are the best daughter ever, Katie bug. Come give your Dad a hug!" Katie came and gave her dad a hug and before he let her go he tickled her until she was in a fit of giggles. Then he opened the rest of his presents. He found a box containing a new pair of black slacks, maroon dress shirt, and tie. In another large package were a brand new fishing rod and reel and a filled tackle box. Roy admired the rod, putting it together and holding it outward, and then he opened the tackle box. Inside were all kinds of lures, hooks, extra fishing line, weights, bobbers, artificial bait and flies.

"Wow, there's a little of everything in here isn't there?" he said.

"Johnny helped me fill it with what you would need for different kinds of fishing. I wouldn't know the first thing to put in it, but I knew he would." Joanne handed him the last package.

Roy opened it and it was another large garment box. When he lifted the lid off he found a hand made gift certificate. It said it was good for a one week fishing trip with "the boys" to be redeemed at his discretion. She was giving her blessing for him to use precious vacation days for a boy's only trip. Under the gift certificate was more tissue paper and when Roy removed it he found a brand new fishing vest.

"Johnny said he and you and any other of the guys that wanted would go on a trip and he knew just the place, of course," Joanne told her husband.

"I'll bet he does," smiled Roy. "Thank you, honey. This is really great." Roy hugged his wife.

"Okay, everybody gather up all the garbage and then we'll have breakfast," Joanne said. It should be done any minute."

"I'm just going to call my mother really quick first if that's okay with you. She's all alone for Christmas," Roy said. He felt a little guilty that he hadn't invited her over but he knew Sam would be there later, and that would have been very awkward. Besides, his mother had turned him down many a Christmas saying she didn't want to be a bother to him and Joanne. She never seemed to appreciate Joanne and Roy couldn't help but wonder if that had anything to do with it. He picked up the phone on the lamp table and dialed her number. It rang. It rang again. Several rings later, she still hadn't picked it up. Roy finally gave up and hung up, joining his family in the kitchen.

"How's your mother?" asked Joanne.

"I don't know."

Joanne looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"She didn't answer. I wonder where she is?"

"She's probably sleeping in or maybe she was in the bathroom when you called. I'm sure you'll be able to reach her a little later," said Joanne.

"Yeah, you're probably right," said Roy, but he didn't have a good feeling about it.

***Sorry, I couldn't get to Mike and Sam or Johnny and Sharon and Becca's Christmas yet because this chapter was running away from me. I'll catch them next chapter! **


	12. Chapter 12

**And Then There Were Three**

**Chapter 12**

When Johnny arrived home he came in quietly. He smiled when he walked into the kitchen to the smell of fresh coffee. Sharon had been up and made it, then gone back to bed. He poured himself a cup then went to the living room to start a fire in the fireplace. He got it going and returned to the kitchen.

Johnny looked around at what was available and found some thawed sausage links in the refrigerator and there was thick sliced egg bread on the counter. He set the links of sausage on a broiler pan and began to broil them while he quickly whipped up French toast batter and started to dip bread and cook it. As he finished each piece he put it on a cookie sheet and when he was through cooking the sausages, set it in the oven along with them and set it to warm. He looked again in the refrigerator and found fresh strawberries and peaches and a pint of whipping cream. Johnny washed and cut up the fruit, peeling the peaches because he didn't want the fuzzy skins. He placed the fruit in a bowl and sprinkled it with sugar then set it aside. When the last piece of French toast was done he shut the stove off and went down the hall to find his wife and daughter. He peeked into Becca's room first, finding it empty. When he entered his bedroom he saw Becca snuggled up with her Mama, both fast asleep. He eased himself onto the bed beside them, rolled to his side and put his arm around the both of them. Sharon opened her eyes and smiled.

"Johnny, you're home. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas Sharon. How are my best girls?"

"Becca woke up about 6:15 looking for her daddy. It took me quite a while to convince her you were not home and I promised her you would be soon. She fell asleep about twenty minutes later while I sang to her and rubbed her back."

"Awright then. Time to get up." Johnny got out of bed and coaxed Sharon to do the same. She didn't' want to.

"She's sleeping Johnny. We can wait a while longer."

"Huh uh. I'm taking her in there right now." He scooped Becca up carefully into his arms and she barely stirred. He carried her into the living room, sat in the rocking recliner chair and rocked with her. Sharon followed him down the hall and couldn't help but smile at the sight of him with their daughter. She put a soft afghan over Becca and Johnny and sat on the end of the couch closest to them.

"You look like you were born to hold her like that Johnny. Thank you for adopting her."

"You know, she would have been mine either way. I love her."

"I know. She loves you too," Sharon affirmed. Just then Becca started to stir.

"Hey, good morning Princess. Merry Christmas," Johnny said looking in her eyes. Becca reached up with her hands and rubbed her eyes. Then she refocused and seeing she was in Johnny's arms she said, "Daddy. Daddy home."

"Yes Sweetheart, Daddy's home. And you know what? Someone else has been here too; do you know that? Who do you think it could have been? Do you think maybe Santa Clause came? Do you think maybe he brought you some presents?" Becca's eyes got wide and she sat up and looked over at the Christmas tree.

"Pesents fo me?" she asked pointing.

"Yes, Becca, and for mommy and daddy too," Sharon said.

"Do you want breakfast first or presents first?" Johnny asked his little girl. Of course it was no contest and Becca pointed again to the tree. "Okay, well before you open presents, you have to have check this out." Johnny pointed to her stocking hanging on the mantle and walked over and got it down for her. She took it with both hands and hugged it close to her body.

"What's inside of it, Becca?" Sharon coaxed.

Becca sat down on the floor and looked at the stocking. There was a small stuffed bear sticking out of the top and a candy cane. She took the bear out and found that underneath it was a chocolate Santa. She took each item out of the stocking and looked at Johnny saying, "Dis?" He would tell her what each item was and then she would grab the next. There was a pink rubber ball, a bottle of bubbles and a container of play-doh as well as a few assorted candies and a small box of crayons. When the stocking was empty she held it upside down and said, "Aw gone!" as she turned her empty hand front to back in the air.

Sharon laughed and took the stocking from her. "You're right. All gone. But now you get presents." She went to the tree and pulled out a box for Becca. She set it down in front of her and instructed her to open it. It was pretty big. Becca grabbed at the wrapping finding it hard to get a hold of any. Sharon showed her a flap in the paper that wasn't taped tightly and showed her how to get her fingers underneath it and pull. Becca ripped open the paper at first looking a little worried when it ripped but relaxing when Johnny and Sharon both praised her.

"Good job!" they both said in unison.

"What did Santa bring you?" asked Johnny.

"Box!" Becca clapped her hands, pleased with the brightly colored box.

Johnny chuckled. "Oh, Princess, that isn't the present. The present is _insid_e the box. Johnny took out a pocketknife. "Let Daddy help you." He picked up the box and slit the tape holding the flaps shut. He opened the box and took out a wide round disk on a rolling base, much like a lazy susan. Inside the box was a smaller round piece like a wheel without the hole in the middle with a long neck-like piece. It fit into a hole on the topside of the large disk.

"What is that?" Sharon asked Johnny.

"You sit on it and turn yourself on it by holding onto the wheel. It's a "Sit 'n Spin". She's gonna love it!" Johnny reached for Becca and picked her up.

"Come here, Sweetheart. Let me show you." He set her on the base then attached the other part and put her hands on it. He showed her how to turn herself. She wasn't able to get it going very well, but it wouldn't be long and she would be spinning away. Of that, Johnny and Sharon had no doubt. While she tried to spin it Johnny realized he hadn't gotten his camera out and he was missing out on the first Christmas with his daughter. As he realized it his face looked very serious and Sharon noticed, wondering what was wrong. Before she could ask he jumped up suddenly. "I'll be right back!" he blurted, bounding out of the room. A minute later he emerged with his camera. He fiddled with it a moment then snapped a picture just as Becca began her first full revolution on the sit and spin.

"Becca! Yay! You did it!" Sharon cheered her on. They watched as Becca played on it a few minutes longer and Johnny happily snapped pictures of her and of Sharon enjoying their first family Christmas. After a bit, Johnny set the camera down and reached for another present under the tree. Becca didn't need any help to open this one and when she opened the Raggedy Ann doll she hugged it to herself.

"Beebee," she announced.

"That's Raggedy Ann," said Sharon.

Becca repeated her. "Waggy Ann."

Becca opened all of her presents. She got a Fisher Price record player that was made of hard plastic and came with several brightly colored records that were grooved with little "bridges" in the grooves. When put on the record player the arm went across and played the record. It had a wind up knob and it sounded sort of like a music box. The records had their own storage slot in the back of the record player. She also got some picture books and a couple of dresses, each with matching tights and a pair of shiny black patent leather shoes and a pair of white ones.

Johnny took lots of pictures while Becca opened her presents and played with the toys. When she was through opening all of them, Johnny handed Sharon a package from under the tree. It was a medium sized box and a little heavy. Sharon shook it to try and guess what was inside. It sounded as though it slid around as a unit and it was definitely heavier on one end than the other. Finally she decided she'd never guess and she opened the box. Inside was a pair of tan leather "cowgirl boots" as Johnny called them.

"Johnny, I love them!" Sharon exclaimed when she saw them. She loved the smell of the new leather and breathed deeply to enjoy it.

"Well, go on and try 'em on!" Johnny encouraged.

Sharon wiggled her foot into first one and then the other pulling hard on the top of the boot to get her feet in.

"They're probably a little snug right now, but we can have 'em stretched if we need to. They'll stretch as you break 'em in and then you'll really like 'em," Johnny said.

He went to the tree and took out the other package he had for her. It was a fairly good-sized box too. This one however was much lighter than the other. She opened the box and was delighted to find a western hat inside. She tried it on. "How do I look?" she asked.

"Foxy in your robe and boots with that hat!" Johnny laughed a good hearty laugh and snapped a picture before Sharon could protest.

"Oh Johnny! You did _not_ just take a picture of me like that!" she laughed.

"Oh, yes I did and I can't wait to develop it!" Sharon started to protest but Johnny stopped her with a kiss. Afterwards she informed him that it was his turn.

"Well, I guess the last couple under there are for me then, huh?" He said. He reached under the tree and pulled out a box about the size of a shoebox only heavier and just a little bit longer. He shook it and heard liquid inside. Johnny thought it unlikely she had bought him a bottle of "the good stuff." He took the wrapping off and broke the tape seal on the box with his pocketknife. He opened the box and reached in to pull out a lava lamp. The liquid inside was a dark teal color. The base was brass and the glass globe was kind of cone shaped. Inside was a thick layer of waxy looking stuff at the base of the globe.

"Far out!" exclaimed Johnny. "These things are really cool. I saw one of these on a rescue I went on. The whole time Roy and I were there doing our thing the brother-in-law of the guy we were working on was sitting there staring at this thing watching the blobs go up and fall down. He was really mesmerized. The guy we were working on refused transport so we started to pack it up and I looked over at the thing. Next thing I knew Roy was pulling on my arm saying it was time to go. I went to pick up the biophone and the drug box and they were gone. I guess I got so wrapped up on the crazy lamp, I didn't even notice Roy step out with all the gear and come back. But you know something? There was something very soothing about watching that thing."

"I'm glad you like it. But you have something else under the tree, Johnny."

"Huh? Oh… Yeah, right." Johnny turned and reached back under the tree for the last remaining package. It was actually three boxes all attached to each other. He picked up the first one, a small square box. Inside was a brand new fishing reel. By the shape of the second box, he knew what it was but he was still excited to see the new fishing rod to go with it. The third box was large and flat. When he opened it he was pleasantly surprised to see a brand new fishing vest. It was identical to the one he recommended to Joanne to get for Roy. In fact the reel was identical to the one Roy got too. The rod was a different model but very similar. Sharon figured it had to be a little bit different so they would be able to tell them apart.

"You women don't keep many secrets between you, do you?" Johnny said through one of his lopsided grins. "Thanks, Baby. I love it. I can't wait to try it out."

"When you and the rest of the boys go fishing we girls are going to party, party, party!" teased Sharon.

"Maybe so, but it's gonna be a real drag without us around to liven things up," Johnny retorted.

"Oh, it'll be tough, but somehow, I'm sure we'll get by!" Sharon retorted back.

Johnny embraced her and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Then he said, "I'm starved. Breakfast is ready. Let's eat!"

"My hungy, Daddy," Becca said.

"Come on sweetheart, Daddy already made breakfast." He looked at Sharon. "Hon, will you whip the cream while I get Becca washed up?"

"Of course I will." She headed to the kitchen and Johnny headed to the bathroom with Becca. He made a game of it stalling as long as he could because he knew the cream would take a while to whip. When he could stall no longer he returned with Becca to the kitchen. Sharon was just removing the beaters from the mixer.

"Good timing," she said. She and Johnny dished up plates of food and took them to the table. Becca was buckled into a high chair and then after a short prayer of thanks, the three shared their first family Christmas breakfast together.

* * *

Mike and Sam left the station within a minute or two of each other. Sam drove straight for home. She was just getting the door unlocked when Mike pulled into the drive and parked alongside her car. As he got out of his truck she shouted to him, "I'll just be a minute. I want to make sure everything is perfect." Mike followed her into the house.

Sam went to the living room and checked the Christmas tree. Looking into the red tree stand basin she felt with her fingers to see how much water was in it. Mike, seeing what she was up to, went straight to the kitchen and came back with a pitcher of water. He handed it to her while she was still under the tree and she capped it off. She handed the pitcher back then stood up and brushed herself off.

"The tree looks great, Sam," Mike said admiring her handy work.

"Thanks. I hope Millie doesn't mind that I got into the attic and used her Christmas things."

"I think she'll be glad you did."

Sam turned around and surveyed the living room. It looked very festive. Even the hospital bed that Mike had rented for the holiday was decorated. Sam had bought a red plaid comforter for the top that had green and gold stripes in the plaid design. She had threaded a gold garland through the handrails and hung mistletoe over the bed.

"I think we're ready," Sam said.

"Oh wait, I almost forgot the presents." Mike dashed out to his truck and returned with a sack full of wrapped gifts. He arranged them under the tree along with the few that were already there. "Okay, ready?" He looked at Sam.

"Almost," she said moving in close. She reached up and put her arms around his neck. "I love you, Michael Stoker."

Mike held her close and gave her a long slow kiss. " I love you, Samantha," he replied. Then he led her out the door. They arrived at Park Rose about a half hour later. When the approached Millie's room Sam took two sets of jingle bells out of her pocket, handing one to Mike. On Sam's signal they started to jingle and then walked in singing Jingle Bells. Miss Millie looked delighted and joined them in song. When the song ended she clapped.

"Merry Christmas, kids," she said cheerfully.

"Merry Christmas Miss Millie," said Mike. "How are you feeling today?"

"Well enough that I ought to be at home!" exclaimed Millie.

"Well, I think that might be arranged!" Sam beamed at her friend who was a mother figure to her.

Millie's eyes flew open wide as what Sam had said sunk in. "What? Do you mean it?"

"Yes, Ma'am! Mike and I have arranged to spring you overnight. We're taking you home for Christmas."

"I don't believe it!" she exclaimed.

"Well believe it. It has all been arranged." Nurse Gina came in to make sure everything was set for Miss Millie to go. "You got your wish, Mrs. Manning. You're going home for Christmas!"

Gina helped make sure everything Millie would need was together and Mike took the things out to the car while Sam and Gina helped Millie to dress. "Mrs. Manning, we'll be sending you out of here with a wheelchair and a walker. You need to be careful and listen to your body. If you sit too long you're going to hurt and get stiff. You need to be up for short walks every one or two hours, but don't over do it. And make sure you drink lots of water. Water is good for you. And no boogying when everybody's back is turned either!" She smiled at her favorite patient.

"Oh, I'll be good, I promise!" Millie said. She was just so happy to be going home for Christmas that she'd have agreed to anything. Gina went over the doctor's orders for Miss Millie with Sam making sure she knew what to do if Millie was in pain, if she fell, or if she had any questions. Then Gina pushed Millie out to the car in the wheelchair and she and Mike helped her get situated into the front seat.

"You all have a Merry Christmas now and I'll see you soon. You hear?" Gina said just before closing Millie's door. Nobody but Gina noticed the wink Mike gave Gina before the door was closed. Millie was so happy she cried on the way home.

Mike and Sam had to carry Millie's wheel chair up the steps to the front door. When they got Millie inside they wheeled her to the living room and she stared in awe at the tree. A tear rolled down her cheek, worrying Sam.

"Miss Millie, I hope you're not mad at me. I wanted to surprise you and I don't have any Christmas decorations of my own."

"No, Child. I'm not mad. This is so wonderful. I love it." Millie reassured her "adopted daughter".

Mike put some Christmas music on the stereo and started some water for hot tea. He came back in the room and spoke to Millie.

"Miss Millie, I rented the hospital bed there so you could rest comfortably. We were planning to go to Sam's brother's house for dinner. We thought we'd have a little Christmas here, let you get a nap and then go over there. But if you decide you're not up to it, I'd be happy to stay here with you for the evening until Sam gets back."

"Young man, you did this for me? If I ever had a son, I'd have wanted him to be just like you. Thank you. I think dinner with that nice fireman and his family sounds lovely. But only if it isn't a trouble."

"Oh, Miss Millie, Roy and Joanne said you are welcome to join us. And his kids would love to have a grandma for Christmas!" Sam reassured her.

"A grandma? I don't have any presents for the kids." Millie was concerned. Grandmas couldn't come empty handed.

"Don't worry. I took care of that." Sam had thought ahead.

Mike stepped out while Sam and Millie talked and came back a few minutes later with hot tea and Christmas cookies.

"Oh you dear man! Sammy? I think you should keep him!" said Millie.

"I think I will," replied Sam matter-of-factly.

After enjoying their tea and cookies, Sam informed the others that it was time to open presents. She passed out the presents that were under the tree. Nurse Gina had seen to it that Millie's presents to Mike and Sam were wrapped and had sent them along with the other things Millie would need for her overnight trip so Millie was excited about present time.

"Open mine first!" she said to them, sounding like a young child. Sam picked up the soft package that said it was from Millie. The tag read, "to my girl-child from the mom I wish I could have been to you." Sam's eyes teared up at the sweet sentiment and love that was portrayed in those simple words. Millie was old enough to be her grandmother but she was so much like the mother she always wished she'd had. Before she could open the gift she just had to give Millie a hug. The hug was returned with sweet tears. Sam sat down again and opened the package. Inside was a fisherman knit sweater. Sam held it up to her and it looked as though it would be a perfect fit.

"Millie, it is beautiful. I know this took you a long time." She looked puzzled. "I thought…" she let the thought trail off. "Thank you."

Millie smiled and nodded at Sam then encouraged Mike to open his. Inside his package he found a larger but identical looking sweater. He smiled as he held it up. It was much larger than Sam's.

"I _thought _you were making it for Mike!" exclaimed Sam. "You sure fooled me."

Sam put a package in Millie's lap. She smiled and unwrapped it. Inside was a long, soft, fuzzy, pink robe. She hugged it to herself, enjoying its softness. "Do you like it?" asked Sam.

"Oh yes. I needed a new one, you know," Millie answered.

Mike handed Millie another package. This one was a small garment box wrapped with beautiful paper and fancy ribbons with a large bow. It did not look like a package wrapped by a man, but Mike had been meticulous about wrapping it and it was beautiful. Millie didn't want to tear the paper because it was so pretty.

"Go ahead, tear it open. It's only paper," said Mike. Millie paid him no mind, carefully loosening the taped portions and removed the paper all in one piece. She looked to Mike as if to say, "Bet you thought I couldn't do that!" Mike nodded and smiled approvingly. Millie opened the small garment box she had uncovered. Inside was a small stack of puzzle books.

"They're to keep you sharp while you recover. I know you love a good mental challenge." Mike said.

"Thank you, Mike. That was very thoughtful of you." As she looked through the stack of puzzle books she found a large white envelope. "What's in the envelope?"

"Open it and see for yourself." Mike said.

She opened the envelope and found photocopies of two contracts and some medical paperwork. She stared at the contracts. The first one was from a medical supply company for the rental of equipment. As she glanced through it she realized it was a contract for the hospital bed and for a wheel chair and walker. It was a month to month contract and first and last month's rental had been paid for (thought the amount had been blacked out by permanent marker).

Sam was looking puzzled as Millie glanced through the contract. Millie handed it to her as she began scanning the second one. It was a contract for a private nurse. And the name of the nurse in the contract was one Gina Mayes. She handed that contract to Sam as she said to Mike, "Does this mean…"

"It means you can stay here. You don't have to go back to the nursing home. Sam and I can look after you and when we are working Gina will be here for you. And Gina will check in on you once or twice a day when we are here too. The rest of the paperwork there is the doctor's instructions for your care." Mike looked at Sam, hoping she wouldn't be mad that he had done this without asking her. He intended it to be a gift to both women. Sam had tears running down her cheeks.

"Sam, I definitely think you need to keep this one. I don't know what to say to your kindness, except thank you and that doesn't feel like it is enough." As Millie spoke, Sam threw her arms around Mike and squeezed him with all she had in her. He held her and enjoyed every second of it.

"You and Samantha being happy is thanks enough. I hope that it makes you a little more comfortable to be at home. And this will make it easier for us to get to know each other better." Mike sincerely wanted to know Millie better because she was so important to Samantha.

After the hugs, Mike took a package out from under the tree for Sam. When she opened it she was surprised to find a new short leather jacket. It had a tailored fit to it and buttoned up the front with a tie at the waist. It was burgundy in color. She loved it and tried it on right away. It was a beautiful fit.

"It looks good on you," said Mike. "It matches the boots you bought a few weeks ago, too."

Sam thanked Mike, hugged him again then suggested he get the last package out from under the tree. Mike brought it out and, seeing it was for him, he opened it. Inside was an antique leather fire helmet in excellent condition.

"Oh, hey look at that!" Mike turned it over and looked at every detail inside and out. "How did you find this?"

"It wasn't easy, but it was sure worth it!" she said.

Mike put it on and the three of them laughed. "This is great!" Mike said.

With the presents all opened, the three of them shared each other's company with warm conversation. After a while Mike noticed Millie was looking pretty warn out.

"Miss Millie, how would you like to nap a while before we head over to Roy and Joanne's house?"

Millie agreed that was a good idea. Mike and Sam helped her get settled in for her nap and then moved to Sam's quarter's upstairs to keep from disturbing her nap.

Before Millie drifted off easily to sleep she thought what a wonderful Christmas this had been already and how much she loved and adored both Sam and Mike.

* * *

"How many place settings do we need?" Roy asked as he tried to count them off in his head. _There are four of us, Johnny and Sharon, Becca, Sam, Mike…_

"Ten!" Joanne answered. We need ten. Seven adults and three children."

"Even with the leaf the dining table will only seat 8 comfortably. How do we want to do this?" Roy said.

"We'll put the kids at the breakfast bar. But we have to make it special. I don't want them to feel left out. I have a tablecloth we can cover it with and Chris and Jenny can use glass instead of plastic to drink from. Becca's stuck with a sippy cup though. And I'll decorate it with garland and Christmas bulbs along the outside edge."

"Okay." Roy thought that sounded reasonable enough. They'd all still be close. The kids' backs would be to the dining table but as squirmy as kids were, there'd be plenty of interaction with the rest of the family, he was sure.

"Daddy?" It was Katie tugging at his sleeve. He set the china plates he had taken out of the hutch on the counter to have the dust washed off.

"Yes Princess?" Roy picked her up and held her so they were eye to eye when they talked.

"Who's coming again?"

"Well, your Uncle Johnny and Aunt Sharon, your cousin Becca, your Aunt Sammy, Uncle Mike, Aunt Sammy's friend who is kind of like a grandma to you and all of us."

"Why is Aunt Sammy's friend like a grandma? Isn't she a real grandma?"

"Well, Miss Millie is like a grandma because… well… you'll see. When you see her, you'll know she's a grandma. You're going to love her. She's a very nice lady.

"Do we have to call her Grandma?" Katie asked.

"No, not if you don't want to. You can call her Mrs. Manning. It's up to you."

Just then the doorbell rang. Roy looked at his watch and frowned. He wasn't expecting Johnny or Sam for at least an hour. He set Katie down and started to head for the door. Before he got there he heard Chris yell, "I got it!" and heard the door open. He stepped into the front room just as it did.

"Grandma!" Chris threw his arms around Mrs. DeSoto. "Mom and Dad didn't' tell us _you_ were coming! That's a _great_ surprise!"

Suddenly Roy's mouth went dry. Katherine DeSoto looked up at her son and saw him biting his lower lip, at a loss for words.

"Well, are you going to just stand there or are you going to offer to help me with these suit cases?

***Thanks for reading. Please take a minute to leave me a review. I appreciate it when you do!**


	13. Chapter 13

**And Then There Were Three**

Chapter 13

Katherine DeSoto was the last person Roy expected to find at his door. She had never arrived unannounced before and he had thought that she was in Florida. She had moved there about five years ago, moving in with her sister.

"Roy, dear, are you okay? You look like you've seen a ghost." At his mother's inquiry he found his voice.

"Sure, sure I am fine. Here, let me help you with those," he said, referring to the suitcases around her on the porch. There was a sound of someone clearing his voice and Roy noticed that standing behind and somewhat to the side of his mother was an impatient taxi driver, waiting to be paid and tipped after having brought the suitcases to the door. Roy reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. After asking the driver how much was owed he counted out the money and added a suitable tip and handed it to the driver, nodding a "thanks" as he did so. Then he reached down and picked up two large suitcases. "Chris, you wanna get Grandma's other two bags for me please?"

Chris stepped out and picked up the two smaller pieces of luggage. Even though they were small they were still heavy and he was challenged carrying them in for his grandmother. He followed his father to the spare bedroom where Joanne was hurriedly putting fresh linens on the bed.

"Jo, Darling, so nice to see you again," said Katherine. Something about the tone made Joanne feel she was being scrutinized.

"Mom, what a wonderful surprise!" She lied trying to sound as sincere as possible. It wasn't that she didn't like her mother-in-law, she just felt like she didn't quite measure up in her eyes. And she was not expecting her company, which didn't help things any. As she embraced her mother-in-law she and Roy exchanged glances that showed surprise and anxiety at what may be next. She stepped back from the embrace and said, "Here you are, fresh linens on the bed and I'll have fresh towels for you in the bathroom. Would you like to rest from your trip or can I get you some coffee or tea or something?"

"Nonsense! I'm not tired and I know my way around my own son's home. I don't want to be a bother to anyone. Carry on as you were before I got here. No need for any special arrangements on my behalf." Katherine motioned with her hands for Roy, Joanne and both kids who were standing in the doorway to shoo out of the way so she could exit the room. She walked down the hallway to the kitchen and entered. She looked into the dining room noting that the table was set and the breakfast bar also was partially set.

"Roy, are you expecting company?"

"Yes we are. My partner Johnny and his new wife and daughter are coming and…" He didn't know how to tell her that Sam would be there now that he knew how badly things had been for Sam after he left for Vietnam. "…And another of the guys, Mike Stoker and his girlfriend and a friend of theirs are coming." He knew he had only bought himself an hour at best to figure things out.

Katie excitedly joined the conversation. "Aunt Sammy's coming an…"

"Katie! I asked you to clean your room, young lady!" interrupted Joanne, taking her daughter by the hand and pulling her out of the room. She hated to intervene that way knowing that Katie would be upset, especially since she _hadn't_ asked Katie to clean her room.

_So much for an hour_, thought Roy as he quickly changed the subject while Joanne took their daughter down the hall at a rapid pace.

"Mo-ommy? What's the matter? You didn't ask me to…" Katie started to complain but now that they were out of site Joanne put her hand gently over Katie's mouth to shush her and pulled her into her room, closing the door behind them. She looked at her daughter seeing the tears start to spill out of her eyes and immediately apologized.

"Katie, honey, I'm SO sorry. I _know _I didn't ask you to clean your room and in fact your room looks _great_. It's just that I needed you not to say anything more about Aunt Sammy until Daddy and Grandma have a chance to talk. _Please_ forgive me, Sweetheart. I was trying to save your Daddy."

"Why does Daddy need saving?" asked Katie. It was a fair enough question. Poor little thing had no clue and Joanne didn't really want her to know too much about grown up problems now either but she had to tell her something.

"Well, sweetheart, it is kind of a grown up kind of problem but here's what I can tell you." She sat on Katie's bed and pulled her into her lap as she talked to her. "Aunt Sammy and Grandma haven't been very happy when they've been around each other in the past. You see Aunt Sammy was adopted. She and your daddy had the same daddy but Aunt Sammy's birth mommy died when she was born. Grandma adopted her because Grandma's husband told her to. She really didn't want another child and she got bitter about that. I'm sure she didn't mean to and she may not have even realized she did it, but she treated Aunt Sammy differently than she did your daddy and she and Aunt Sammy have never gotten along very well because of it."

"But Aunt Sammy is coming for dinner. Why can't we talk about Aunt Sammy and Uncle Mike coming?" Katie asked.

"Because Daddy needs to prepare Grandma to see Aunt Sammy so it won't be so much of a surprise." _And we need to call Aunt Sammy and prepare her too_, she thought.

"Doesn't Grandma love Aunt Sammy?" Katie asked worried about what the answer would be.

"Well, that's kind of complicated. Deep down, I bet she does. But Grandma has some hurts in her heart that make it hard for her to feel that love."

"Is it because Grandpa had two grandma's at the same time?" Katie asked, showing she was far more understanding of the situation than a kindergartener should be. "Isn't that against the rules or something?"

"Yes, Katie. You are right. And it is against the rules. And the hurt feelings in your grandma and your Aunty are the reason that it's against the rules. It always causes hurt feelings and God wants us to be married to only one person."

"If Daddy married another mommy and she died, and he told you to adopt the little girl would you love her Mommy?"

"If I adopted her, I would sure try my best to, honey. But that isn't going to happen. Your daddy and I love each other very much and neither one of us wants to get a new husband or wife. Daddy and I are married only to each other forever. I promise." She did her best to reassure her daughter who was feeling insecure and also sad for her aunt and grandma. Katie was perceptive and compassionate: Traits that mirrored her father's personality, and her mother's too.

"I understand now, Mommy. I know you were not really mad at me and I'm not mad that you pretended I was in trouble. I hope Daddy can make things better with Grandma and Aunt Sammy," Katie told her mother.

"I do too, honey. I do too. Forgive me?"

"Yes Mommy."

"Thank you, Baby. Now, please don't talk about this to anyone except your daddy or me, and then only in private, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy. I promise." Katie looked her mama in the eye as she said it and held out her hand to shake on it. Joanne shook her hand then hugged her little girl again.

"I'd like you to play in here or with Chris and leave Daddy and Grandma some space to talk privately, okay? I have to go fix dinner now." _Right after I call Sam_, she thought, but promptly forgot to do so.

"Okay." Katie knew she was helping by following her mother's directions so she was more than happy to oblige.

* * *

Back in the kitchen and dining area, a conversation Roy did not want to have was beginning as Roy's wife and daughter disappeared down the hall. Chris, (who picked up on the fact that A: Katie's room was already clean and B: Their mother never said anything to them about their rooms that day), took the hint and disappeared into his own room. He didn't know what was going on, but he knew he wasn't supposed to be part of what ever it was.

"Did she just say 'Aunt Sammy'?" asked Katherine, looking at her son.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, Mom, she did. Sammy's been working in L.A. for a while now."

"And she'll be _here_? _Tonight_? For _dinner_?"

"Yes. Along with our friend, Mike Stoker, and another friend, Mrs. Manning," Roy said. His mother just stared at him waiting for him to say more. "Mrs. Manning is a kind, elderly lady that Sam rents sort of an apartment from, upstairs in the woman's home."

"And Mike Stoker… isn't that one of the other firemen you work with?" Katherine demanded to know.

"Yes. He's the engineer. He and Sam have been… close… for a while now," he said, not knowing what else to say. He wasn't even sure entirely _how_ "close" they were. He still wasn't sure how he felt about them being together. Not that it was any of his business he realized. Still, he couldn't help feeling concerned about it.

"Why is she hanging out with your firemen?" she demanded again.

His firemen. As if he was in charge of them or something. _Oh brother_, he thought. "She _is_ a firefighter," Roy explained. "She's a paramedic and we work together."

"Oh for Pete's sake! That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" Katherine scoffed at the thought. "A woman fireman. Hmph! I don't believe it!"

"Well, it's true. And she's good. Dad would be proud of her… _I'm_ proud of her."

Roy's mom shook her head in disbelief and at a lack for words, for a change. She started to say something, thought about it and closed her mouth again. Roy looked at his watch and quietly calculated the minutes until the real fireworks might begin. He was relieved when Joanne walked in to the dining room and handed him a beer. In her other hand was a glass of white wine, which she sweetly offered her mother-in-law.

"Here, Mom. This is very good wine Roy bought. I thought it might be just the thing to relax with before dinner." She held the glass out to Katherine and held her breath hoping she would accept it." When she did, Joanne quietly let out the breath she had been unaware she was holding until that second. As Katherine took a sip Roy silently thanked God that she was calm and, for the moment, quiet. He prayed the rest of the evening would go well then went to the hutch to get out another place setting of china to be washed and set out on the table.

Katherine followed Joanne back into the kitchen. It was then she realized that Joanne looked different. "Jo, you're gaining weight," she said, oblivious to the fact that Joanne was with child.

"Well, yes. That happens when women get pregnant," Joanne said, hoping it came out lighthearted when she really was irritated at the judgmental way Katherine's comment had sounded.

"Well, I can _see_ that! I just mean that you need to be careful not to gain _too_ much weight." Katherine pretended she knew though she really hadn't even considered the thought, despite the fact that it was blatantly obvious. Why would Roy _want_ another child? Weren't two extra mouths to feed enough? They certainly had been for her. It wasn't that she didn't love her grandchildren…she did, but still…

"I understand," Joanne replied, biting her tongue to keep from giving her a piece of her mind.

Roy changed the subject. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I would have been more than happy to pick you up at the airport, Mom."

"But Darling, it was a surprise." Katherine responded.

"It certainly was!" Joanne shuddered when she realized she had said it out loud. Katherine looked at her a moment then laughed.

"You surprised me too. I didn't know I was going to be a grandma again."

"Surprise!" said Roy, thinking about what a big surprise Sam was about to get.

Chris walked into the kitchen tentatively, hoping it was safe to do so. His grandmother held out her arms to him. "Christopher, dear. When did you start getting so grown up? Come tell Grandma all about it." She led him from the kitchen to the living room and on the way inquired about his little sister. When he told her Katie was in her room she sent him to get her and the three of them began catching up.

Roy helped Joanne in the kitchen and dining room finishing everything for the party they were about to have. It wasn't long before there was a ring of the doorbell and before Roy could get to it, the door opened and in walked Sam.

"Roy, Joanne, we're here. Mike's helping Miss Millie ge…" her words stopped short as she looked up into the face of the woman she had once called "Mother."

Katherine saw the expression on Sam's face and responded with a disinterested sounding, "Oh, it's you."

As Roy approached the open door and Sam, he stepped in the line of vision between the two women. It couldn't be helped if he went to the door, but he would have done so anyway if he could have helped it. With his back to his mother, facing his sister whom he felt the overwhelming urge to protect at this moment, he mouthed the words, "Sorry, I didn't know!" and hoped she understood. Sam understood perfectly and turned to look at Mike, behind her outside. Mike had the wheelchair in position next to the car and was about to help Millie out when he sensed something wasn't right and looked up toward the house and saw Sam's face. Even in the quick glance he could see she was tense and the smile was gone from her face. Before he could react, Roy had his arm around Sam and was escorting her outside, closing the door behind him. When the door was closed, he turned Sam toward him and embraced her tightly.

"Sammy, I am SO sorry. I had no idea she was coming." Roy had to be sure she knew he had nothing to do with it. Sam was confused and agitated. She heard his words but her brain didn't want to process it. She started to pull away from Roy but he held her tighter and started to stroke her hair, just like he had done so many times when they were growing up. "It'll be all right. We'll figure this out," he soothed. He looked over towards Mike, who by now had Miss Millie situated in the wheel chair and was looking helpless because he would have preferred to be taking care of Sam at the very moment. Roy released Sam and offered to help Mike get Miss Millie up the stairs of the porch.

"Just what is going on here!" demanded Millie as Roy and Mike lifted her in the chair to the top of the steps.

"My mother showed up unexpectedly," Roy explained. "She and Sammy don't get along very well."

"No, they don't! I've heard all about what it was like growing up with that woman. But she IS your mother, like it or not. We get to choose our friends, not our family. And it is Christmas." She looked Sam in the eyes. "Sam, you're going to hold your head up and walk back in there and make the best of it. And know that your real family is right here with you, supporting you and loving you no matter what happens in there. You got that?" Miss Millie was all business and no nonsense. "And if SHE doesn't like it, then THIS for her and THIS for her horse!" Miss Millie made a one-finger salute followed by a horizontal version as she said it, shocking the three younger adults and causing Sam to smile and actually laugh. She bent down and hugged the fierce older woman who was more a mother to her than Katherine ever was or could be.

"I love you, Millie."

"I love you too, dear. Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," sighed Sam and turned to follow Roy inside. Mike pushed Millie in behind Sam and closed the door when all had stepped over the threshold.

"Aunt Sammy!" Katie ran over to her aunt and wrapped her arms around her in a bear hug!

"Hi Katie! Did Santa bring you some cool presents?" As Sam engaged Katie in conversation, Roy made is way over to Katherine and whispered to her.

"Mom, please, let's have a nice dinner and we can all talk later. For my family, please, lets keep things light and pleasant for Christmas."

Katherine rolled her eyes. "Talk about _what_ later, dear?" She said innocently back in less of a whisper.

Roy just repeated one word. "_Please!" _

In the fraction of a moment that Roy's little exchange with his mother occurred, Mike stepped over to Katherine and stuck his hand out. "Hello, you must be Mrs. DeSoto? I'm Mike Stoker."

Katherine reached out and shook Mike's hand, rather limply. "It's Katherine. How do you do?"

Mike shook her hand firmly, to let her know he was strong of character. He wasn't going to let her push Sam around and he hoped she would be intimidated to do so with him present. "Fine, thank you. Are you in town long?"

"No, not really. Two to three weeks is all." Roy had just started to swallow a swig of his beer and upon hearing his mother's answer he began to choke. Some of it dribbled out of his nose before he got the coughing under control.

All the while Katie was telling her Daddy, "Keep coughing Daddy. You're doing fine. It will all settle down soon. That's it. Keep coughing."

"Are you alright, son?" His mother asked him looking concerned.

Roy held his hand up, palm out. "Fine… I'm… fine… just sw… swallowed wro… ong is all." He managed to get it out between spasms. His eyes were watering and his nose was running and he was quite red in the face. Katie had one of his hands and was rubbing his arm because she couldn't reach to rub his back but she wanted him to feel better. As things subsided he looked down at her noting the concern and worry in her little facial expression. He withdrew his hand from her and put his arm around her instead giving her a hug. "Thank you, Princess. You did real good. I feel much better now."

Sam had been watching Katie "treating" Roy for choking and smiling at the little girl's confidence in doing so. "Good job, Katie. You knew just what to do for your Daddy." She looked to Roy and made eye contact. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Roy excused himself and went to wash his face, just as there was another ring of the doorbell. Chris answered the door to find his Aunt Sharon and Uncle Johnny, who was holding Becca, standing there.

"Merry Christmas to everyone!" Johnny said enthusiastically.

"Merry Christmas! Come in. Chris stepped aside to let them enter. "Hi Becca!" he said. Becca looked down at him and waved with her hand facing herself rather than Chris. Chris chuckled and waved back.

When Johnny set Becca down Katie took her by the hand and led her to her room to play with dollies.

Joanne came out of the kitchen to say hello to all of her guests. Sharon told her she had pies in the car and sent Johnny out after them. Sam had brought a spinach salad and home made rolls that Mike had actually made.

"I just have to make the glaze for the steamed carrots and the gravy for the mashed potatoes and we'll be ready to eat," Joanne informed her guests.

"That prime rib smells so good!" Roy said, rubbing his stomach.

"Man, you aren't kidding!" agreed Johnny who had returned with a pumpkin pie and a chocolate cherry pie.

"How would you like to come carve it for me?" Joanne asked him. Johnny was happy to oblige.

"Sure. Let me just set the pies down first." Joanne took the pies from him and stuck them in the refrigerator.

Roy entertained guests while Sam, Johnny and Joanne finished preparing the dinner and set everything on the table. Sam figured if she could just avoid Katherine, it would be better for everyone.

Before long, the food was set on the table, grace had been said and everyone was enjoying the delicious Christmas dinner.

"Joanne, the carrots are amazing. What did you do to them?" Sam asked.

"It's just a butter and brown sugar glaze over the top, just before serving. My mother always made them for the holidays. Your salad is really good too. I like the orange vinaigrette dressing."

"Oh, I think a spinach salad should have a creamy dressing. This is so thin," Katherine criticized.

"Well, I liked it," said Roy sincerely, trying to take the negativity away.

"It's a pretty salad too, with the purple onion, the mandarin orange slices and the mushrooms it has a lot of color. It's very festive. And the bacon gives it a nice flavor too. You won't mind if I make it myself sometimes will you?" Joanne was truly impressed with it.

"Not at all! It's easy to make too." Sam was pleased that it had gone over so well. She noticed that Chris and Katie were having nothing to do with it. "Hey you two, I thought you liked vegetables. What's wrong with the salad?"

"It has spinach in it," answered Chris softly, eyes downward.

"It's kinda sour!" exclaimed Katie.

The difference in the way the two kids responded brought a chuckle around the table.

"Well, Chris, it's okay if you don't like every vegetable you try. And Katie, it's the vinegar that makes it sour. I bet you'll like it more when you get older," Roy said to his children.

The rest of dinner progressed in that manner. Small talk was made, Katherine either didn't acknowledge Sam's contributions or found a way to criticize or otherwise put a negative spin on everything she said. Weather it was conscious or not on her part, nobody knew but it had a definite effect on Sam. She finally just quit talking. When the meal was over she helped Joanne clear the dishes to make room for dessert. She never rejoined the group at the table.

After a while both Mike and Roy became concerned. Mike wanted very much to get up and look for her but he felt like it would be wrong to leave Miss Millie when she didn't know the others very well. After much fidgeting he finally got Roy's attention and made eye contact. He flicked his eyes away to Sam's empty chair and back to Roy giving a barely noticeable shrug in the process. Roy gave a barely noticeable nod in response. A minute or two later, he made some excuse and stepped away from the table.

Ten minutes later, Roy finally found her. She was up in Chris' tree house, sitting on the floor with her knees to her chest and her arms wrapped around them, head resting on her knees. Before he could see her, he heard her sobs.

"Sammy," Roy called her name softly as he stepped into the tree house and off the ladder. He walked over to her and put his hand out to take hers. At first she didn't even look up but Roy persisted. "Sammy, I'm so sorry about this." Roy squatted down and tried to make eye contact with her. He put his hand on her shoulder and she sort of leaned into his touch. "Come here, Sammy," he encouraged and finally she stood up and so did he. Roy put his arms around his little sister and she buried her face into his chest. Softly he stroked her hair and held her closely like he had so many times when they were younger and Sam cried hard. After a while he felt her start to relax and the sobbing subsided. Roy took a handkerchief out of his back pocket and handed it to her.

"She always makes me feel so small," Sam said after she wiped her face dry. "All I ever wanted was for her to be proud of me and…"

"And love you," Roy finished for her.

"Was that too much to expect? I mean, I know Daddy left her to be with my birth mother, but he brought me to her as a baby. She adopted me. Was I that awful as a kid?"

"Sammy, I know you won't believe this, but, I think she does love you. I… I think it is her feeling inadequate or unloved or something that makes her lash out at you."

Sam pulled away from Roy's embrace and sat back on the floor. Roy sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders as they leaned against the tree house wall. "You know, watching her tonight, I don't think she really knows what she's doing." Roy wasn't trying to defend his mother's actions but as he had watched the evening unfold, he noticed that she didn't' seem to even notice Sam's reactions.

"Roy all she ever does is criticize me. I have never been able to please her. I've done nothing wrong and yet she hates me!"

"Sammy, she has treated you so badly, I'm not denying that. I am not trying to make excuses for her either, but I want you to try and see she was hurt too. Dad's leaving devastated her. And when he came back, it wasn't because he was sorry or he missed her or even because he loved her. It was because he lost your mother and he had you. He needed her to help him. He hurt her then he used her. And he insisted she adopt you immediately. He didn't give her time to get used to you or bond with you. She's never gotten over the hurt and pain he caused her and unfortunately, she's taken it out on you."

"It isn't my fault what he did. You know, when he died I was devastated too. I missed him so much. Sometimes I still miss him but sometimes, like right now, I'm so angry with him because he made this all happen. He was a selfish, hurtful man." Sam just blurted it all out and ended sobbing again.

Roy pulled her closer and tried his best to comfort her. "In a lot of ways, you're right. He was selfish to leave her, and to come back for the wrong reasons. And he was controlling, but she let him be. It was how they were both raised. But Sammy…" Roy took his arm from around her and moved to face her. When she didn't look up at him he put his hand on her shoulder and waited a moment. She slowly looked up at him. "Sammy, he loved you very much."

"I know. I loved him too."

"I know Mom has really hurt you. Let me talk to her. You've both been hurt and maybe together you can heal from it. It won't happen over night, but if I can get her to see she needs help, maybe both of you can get some counseling and maybe things can be better."

Sam wasn't sure how she felt about that. She knew in her heart that Roy was right. Katherine was hurt as much as she was. But that didn't make her feel one bit forgiving for the terrible way she'd been treated. Katherine couldn't just tell Sam she hated her and then be forgiven because she was hurting too. She had to take responsibility and own up to what she did or Sam was going to have no part of anything to do with her. As she processed it in her head, she realized she was surer of how she felt about it than she had realized at first. If Katherine could own what she did to Sam, then Sam could consider trying to forgive her and try work things out.

"Roy, you can talk to her if you want to, but I'm not making any promises or commitments," she said.

"That's fair. Are you okay? I know a man who is very worried about you back at the house. He'd have come after you himself if he hadn't been with Miss Millie, I think."

"Oh, Miss Millie. Poor thing. She's probably fit to be tied. I'd better get back."

Roy stood up and held out a hand to help Sam up. "Hang in there, Sis. I'll always be here for you."

Sam took his hand and Roy pulled her up. She gave him a hug and thanked him and then they returned to the house. The rest of the party had moved to the living room and were chatting around the fire, drinking coffee and sharing stories of Christmases past. The kids had been allowed to open the presents from their grandma and their aunts and uncles and had gone off to the rec room to play. When Sam and Roy walked in, Mike and Joanne both looked relieved to see them. Mike got up and went to Sam. He took her in his arms and hugged her tightly.

"Are you okay?" he whispered so that only she could hear.

"Sort of, but don't worry." Her answer was not very comforting to Mike but he was happy he was with her again.

"Do you want to go?" he whispered.

"No, I'll stay unless Millie is ready to go." She put on a smile for the benefit of everyone else and broke the embrace. She took Mike's hand and the two walked back to the couch and sat down.

"Miss Millie, how are you feeling?" she asked her dear friend.

"I'm kind of tired, but I'm all right." Millie sounded exhausted.

"Maybe we should call it a night then and we can get you to bed," suggested Mike, thankful for the opportunity to get Sam out of the awkward moment.

"I agree," said Sam. "You don't need to overdo it. Roy, Joanne, thank you for everything."

"Oh, Sam, we're so glad you all came. And thanks for bringing the salad and rolls. They were delicious." Joanne turned to address Mike directly. "I would love if you could write down the recipe if you get a chance. Those rolls were wonderful."

Mike blushed at the compliment. "I'll bring the recipe to the station next shift. Roy can bring it to you. Thanks for dinner. Everything was very nice."

"We were glad to have you." Joanne replied.

Mike went down the hall to the rec room to tell the kids goodbye and when he came back, Sam went down to do the same, taking Miss Millie with her. Once all the goodbyes were said, Roy helped Mike carry Miss Millie's wheelchair down the steps and Mike helped her into the car, then thanked Roy again before driving back to Millie's place.

When they pulled out of the drive, Roy turned and walked back to the house. Johnny and Sharon had decided it was best for them to get going as well and they had just finished getting Becca all bundled up to go. Becca was making the rounds giving hugs to Roy's family and she toddled over to him for the last one.

"Bye young lady. Thanks for coming over and playing with my Katie."

"Wekkum," she said.

Roy helped them get ready to go and saw them out. When he came back in, his kids were getting ready for bed, thanks to Joanne. Roy walked up to his mother who looked at him quizzically. She wasn't sure she'd ever seen that particular expression on his face before.

"We need to talk, Mom," he said.

***Thanks for your patience. I have been finding it hard to find time to write. I have also begun one other writing project that will be taking some of my time but I couldn't pass up the opportunity. I am now collaborating with TehMarishal on her story, "Starlight, Star Bright, Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite". If you haven't checked out her story, please do. Thanks for reading and reviewing my story. I really appreciate all the comments left and I do consider all suggestions. -Hotflash**


	14. Chapter 14

**And Then There Were Three**

Chapter 14

*Warning: This is not a feel good chapter in any way. There is no fluffy. It is pure drama. But it needed to come out. On the bright side it is a short chapter. I couldn't torture anyone for too long.

"Why don't we sit down," suggested Roy, leading his mother to the couch near the fireplace.

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" Katherine asked Roy. She could tell by the way he was biting his lower lip that this was going to be a challenging conversation.

"I want to ask you something, and I hope you will be completely honest with me. It will be hard but it's important." Roy prefaced the conversation carefully, trying to prepare his mother for what would undoubtedly be a very uncomfortable conversation.

"What could be so difficult, Son?" she asked.

"Do you love Sammy?" He asked it point blank.

Katherine's hesitation spoke volumes. She opened her mouth to speak and then closed it again. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. She broke eye contact and stared at the flames dancing in the fireplace. Roy waited her out. For several minutes she didn't speak and she didn't look at Roy. She had hoped that he would forget about it but he was patient and persistent.

"Why do you want to know?" she finally asked in response. Her eyes stayed riveted to the orange and yellow flames dancing around the wood in the fireplace.

"Because I'm not sure that you do, and I want to know why?" he answered.

"Why would you think that?" she asked, trying to buy time to think.

"Sammy feels like you always put her down, ignore her and belittle her." He stopped to see the reaction that got. His mother's lips drew tight and she closed her eyes but did not turn toward him at all. "Will you please look at me so we can talk face to face? This is important. I'm not here to judge you, Mom. I want to help."

Katherine turned stiffly toward him and opened her eyes. Her jaw was set and her face was tense. "What do you want me to say?" she asked tersely.

"Just the truth." Roy spoke with a soft voice and he put his hand on his mother's. "Let's just talk about it," he coaxed.

Katherine sighed a long sigh. She looked down at his hand on hers then back up at him. Her eyes threatened to spill over. "I… I don't know."

"Mom, I know Dad hurt you and that the two of you never really reconciled. But what about Sammy?"

"Every time I look at Sammy I see your father and I see him walking out the door without saying goodbye. And then he doesn't call and he doesn't come back. Two weeks. Two WEEKS!" The tears spilled down her wrinkled cheeks leaving mascara tracks behind as they fell. Roy squeezed her hand and scooted closer to her so he could put his other arm around her. When she didn't continue he pried gently.

"Two weeks?" he asked softly.

"Two weeks later I still hadn't heard a word from him. He just left, moved in with her and never said a word. I didn't know where he was. I assumed he'd been staying at the firehouse. Finally I went to see him when I knew it was his shift."

"Go on," encouraged Roy still speaking very softly and soothingly. He hated seeing his mother cry but she had to let this out. He knew she was bitter and unhappy and she always would be if she didn't do something to find a way to move on.

"When I got there, his captain said he'd transferred. He wouldn't tell me anything else. Nobody would. They couldn't even look me in the eyes."

"What did you do?" he asked her as he gave her hand another reassuring squeeze.

"I had to go to headquarters and talk with the fire chief. He was… shocked, I guess. He had no idea that I didn't know about the transfer. He didn't know your father had walked out on me. He told me that Richard had transferred clear across town and gone from C-shift to A-shift. He told me he was sorry. They were ALL sorry. But nobody offered to help."

"You're doing fine. Keep going. It will be good for you to get this out." Roy continued encouraging his mother and she finally told him everything about how his father had left her for a woman almost ten years younger. He transferred across town close to where she lived so he wouldn't have to face the crew that knew him so well and knew he had a wife and child at home. He never divorced her. He just moved in with the woman and then she died giving birth. He brought Sammy over as soon as the hospital let him take her and he walked back in like he had never left. He slept in the bed with her but he never touched her. He ate, slept and showered there but he wasn't a husband. He spoke to his children and played with them when it was convenient for him but never helped feed, bathe or any thing a parent would do other than playing with the kids and disciplining when he saw that they had done wrong."

"That must have been very difficult for you, Mom. I never knew."

"I know you didn't. I tried not to let you see any more than that he was always working. He took extra shifts. He started to work two days and come home one. On those days he would sleep half the day, get up when you came home from school and he would spend the afternoon doing things with you and Sam. Then he would demand his supper. After supper he'd read the newspaper or tinker in the garage. Once in a while he'd fix something around the house that needed to be fixed. Then when you went to bed he'd go out. He'd come home late smelling like smoke and booze and go to bed. Then he'd get up in the morning and it would start all over."

"I guess that was pretty lonely for you." Roy acknowledged her hurts.

"Lonely, yeah! Hell yeah it was lonely. After a few months, he got hurt at work and he had to be off for a month. He spent half of that in the hospital. When he came home he presented me with legal papers demanding that I adopt Sam so that if anything ever happened to him she would still have a parent. I didn't want to. Every time I looked at her was a reminder that he ran off with another woman and even when she was dead he didn't really come back to me. He told me that if I didn't, he would take you and Sam and he would leave and never come back. I was scared. I had never worked and I didn't have a way to support myself. And I didn't want to lose you. I just signed the papers. But inside I grew angrier every day."

"But did you love her? Did you ever love Sam?" Roy needed to know almost as much as Sam did.

"She was always a good girl. Sometimes I think she was the grown up. Especially after your father died. She would tuck me in at night. And I was so angry that I… I just screamed at her. I loved her but I wanted to… I wanted… I wanted to hate her because she made me think of everything I lost. So… I… I pushed her away. I thought if she left I wouldn't have to look at her and I wouldn't see him. I wanted her out of our lives. I wished she'd never been born." Katherine began to cry very hard. She knew she had done terrible things to Sam. And she felt remorse. She felt even guiltier that even after all these years, she still thought of all she lost when she saw Sam and she still wanted to blame her. Even though she knew it was irrational to blame a child for the actions of a parent, actions that began before she was even born.

"Mom, do – you – love – her?" Roy felt very sorry for his mother, who obviously had endured much pain but he had to do all he could to reconcile his family. He was always a family man. It was just something he had to do. He pulled his mother to him and held her as she cried but he didn't let her off easily. He insisted she answer his question. As soon as she started to regain control he held her face in both of his hands and asked her again. "DO you _love_ her?"

Katherine blinked several times trying to keep from letting any more tears fall. She looked Roy in the eyes and saw compassion. Finally she whispered an answer.

"Come again?" he said. "I didn't hear you."

"Yes. But I'm… I'm ashamed to say… I'm j… jealous of her." Katherine lowered her head and wanted to hide from Roy. Roy put both arms around his mother again and held her.

"It's okay. You said it and you survived. And I still love you." Roy encouraged his mother the best way he knew how. He knew it was going to be a long haul to build a loving relationship between his mother and Sammy but at least now there was hope for it. Katherine allowed her son to hold her and rock her gently as she cried again, harder than before. After the sobs subsided, he continued to hold her. She was drained physically and emotionally. So was he. Their talk had taken nearly two hours to get through. He needed to rest. And he knew his mother needed to sleep too.

"Mom, I'm glad you told me everything. We're a family. We'll get past this, I promise. But you are going to have to make some changes. And you have to talk to Sammy. But right now I think you should get some sleep. We should all get some sleep."

Katherine simply nodded and let Roy lead her to the guest room. Roy turned to leave but then turned back. "Mom, I'm proud of you. I know that was hard, but you did okay. Can I get you anything?"

"No, son. Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Good night then. I love you."

"I love you too, son."

With that, Roy turned, closed the door behind him and headed off to get ready for bed. After washing his face and brushing his teeth he undressed in the dark and slid in the covers next to Joanne. Joanne reached for him and put her arms around him. Roy let her hold him and cried himself to sleep.

***Sorry for the short chapter. And sorry it was a downer. I just felt this needed to stand alone. I'll try to lighten things up next chapter. Thanks for reading. :)** -Hotflash


	15. Chapter 15

**And Then There Were Three**

**Chapter 15**

**A/N Dear fans, This is not a new chapter but I wanted to get a message to all of you and knew no other way to do it than to update this one with an author's note. Yes, there absolutely will be more chapters to this story. Thanks for all the wonderful feedback and comments from all of you. Some of you already know but for those of you who don't, I started EMT school at the end of March. It is a highly intense class and I am also working full time and have a family. Therefore I have not had much time to write. Although I have worked on my other story a bit it truly is being done in five and ten minute spurts. This story is much more demanding and it has been long enough that I must first re-read my story and maybe even the two prequels before I can write any more. I don't have that kind of time right now. I am dying to work on this story, it is my favorite so far but it will have to wait until I graduate EMT school in mid June. I am SO sorry to make you all wait and I appreciate you all waiting so patiently. I promise, I am not abandoning the story!**

The drive from the DeSoto's back to Mrs. Manning's house was filled with agitated conversation as Sam ranted about her "mother" never appreciating her, hating her and doing everything she could short of killing her to get rid of her. Every time Mike thought she would wind down, Millie would speak her mind and it would escalate again.

"… And all I ever wanted was…" Sam was saying more calmly than she had spoken in the last 5 minutes.

"You only wanted to be loved, child. Anyone can see that. That woman was selfish and mean. I'm surprised you stayed as long as you did. How dare her show up unannounced at your brother's when you were there. How DARE her!"

"I know! She always ruins everything! I wish she had never adopted me! Why the hell DID she, anyway?"

Mike took one hand off the wheel and put it on Sam's thigh. She was so tense. He gave a gentle squeeze and glanced her direction. She caught his look of concern and for his sake, took a deep breath and tried to calm down. She looked at Millie.

"Miss Millie, I am so sorry I ruined your Christmas. This was supposed to be fun."

"Nonsense, Child. This wasn't your fault. Why don't we have a nice cup of tea when we get home? That will make us all feel better."

"That's the best idea I've heard all day," Mike approved. The last five minutes of the drive were quiet but for the sound of the vehicle. It wasn't long before the crunch of gravel under the wheels was heard as Mike pulled into the drive. Mike got out then helped Sam out. He and Sam got Miss Millie out and situated in the wheel chair then they carried it together up the stairs and helped her in the house. Mike pushed the wheelchair into the kitchen and then excused himself while Sam put on the water for tea and talked with Miss Millie. Mike came back a few minutes later.

"Miss Millie, would you prefer to sit in a chair or are you ready for the bed?"

The elderly woman looked at Mike. He was so considerate. "I think I would like to get ready for bed and enjoy my tea there."

"I'll help her. Why don't you finish the tea and I'll tell you when we're ready for you?" Sam suggested.

"Sure thing," he agreed.

Sam took Miss Millie out of the kitchen and helped her do the things she needed to do to get ready for bed. Then she helped her get in and get the bed situated in a comfortable setting for visiting and drinking tea. Sam couldn't help but notice that Mike had been so thoughtful as to turn the Christmas lights back on and a lamp and made sure the room felt warm and inviting. His efforts did not go unnoticed by Miss Millie either.

"Sam, that young man must really love you. He went to a lot of trouble today and look at how nice he made things for us tonight."

Sam couldn't help but smile. "I know. I love him too. I hope my brother approves." When Sam realized she had said that last remark out loud she gasped slightly. Her face turned red and she looked up at Miss Millie who was looking amused and had a twinkle in her eye. "Don't you dare tell anyone I said that. I'll deny even thinking it!" Truth was, until she said it aloud, she didn't realize it was that important to her.

"I'm sure your brother will be happy for you. He obviously cares for you very much too."

Sam smiled again then made sure everything was taken care of and called Mike to join them. Mike came out a moment later carrying three cups of tea on saucers on a tray. In the middle of the tray were a creamer and sugar set and three spoons. Sam pulled up the small table on wheels that they had rented to accommodate Miss Millie and put Miss Millie's cup and saucer on it along with a spoon and the sugar-creamer set. She pushed the table into place and waited for Miss Millie to finish fixing her tea. Then she and Mike fixed theirs and they all enjoyed a few quieter minutes together. When the tea was long gone, Miss Millie announced that she was done and asked if somebody would please stick a fork in her. The three laughed at her attempt at humor and then Mike and Sam turned off the Christmas lights and the lamp for her, gathered the remains of the tea party and departed the room.

Sam filled a sink with soapy water and set the cups and saucers and spoons in it. She washed them up quickly and Mike dried them and put them away. They worked with out talking because they did not want to keep Miss Millie awake in the next room. When they were through Sam whispered, "Will you come upstairs?" Mike nodded and followed her.

Sam and Mike left the doorway to the stairs open so they could hear if Miss Millie needed anything. Sam had made sure there was a brass bell within Miss Millie's reach so she would be sure to hear her. Upstairs, Mike thought they would sit on the couch and talk but Sam led him to her room. Once inside she sat on the bed fully clothed and motioned him to join her. Mike sat down on the edge and Sam lay down on top of the covers and scooted over so he could do the same then curled up in his arms.

Mike held her and they were content to cuddle quietly. After a long while Sam started to talk.

"You know? I said something to Miss Millie today and surprised myself."

"Really? What did you say?" Mike asked.

"I said I hope that Roy approves."

"Approves of what?" questioned Mike.

Sam hesitated, feeling silly for even thinking it and for bringing it up. "Of… of us together."

"What happened to 'My brother isn't my keeper' and all that kind of talk?" he asked her.

"It… it was just… well, I meant it but… It does matter to me what he thinks."

"I know. I knew before… when you said it didn't."

Sam sighed. He knew her too well already. She snuggled closer.

Two days later 51's A-shift trickled in to the station just before their day was scheduled to begin. Mike was the first and as he walked into the locker room Captain Burns and the C-shift engineer, Mike Linker, greeted him.

"Hey Stoker," said Captain Burns.

"Cap." Acknowledged Mike, giving a small nod his direction. "Mike." He also acknowledged his C-shift counterpart.

Captain Burns looked at Mike a moment and then nodded at his own engineer giving him the reigns to take the lead in the conversation they were about to have with Stoker.

"Remember that favor you owe me?" Linker started.

An uneasy feeling started in Mike's stomach. If the Cap was part of this conversation it could only mean they were up to something. Mike had locked himself out of his own truck several months back and as a result he was late for work. Linker had covered for him and even gone so far as to tell both _his_ captain and Captain Stanley that he had _pre-arranged_ with Stoker to cover him so that Stoker could take his elderly next door neighbor lady's cat to the vet for her. Linker was good at making excuses on the fly. Stoker unfortunately had not had the opportunity to return the favor yet and was anxious about what was going to be asked of him next with a question like that.

"Yeeeeaaaaaahhhh, what about it?" asked Mike tentatively, dragging it out because he was dreading the answer. Captain Burns looked around, making sure the coast was clear and then he and Linker moved in closer and began to explain to Mike just what exactly it was he was going to have to do to make good on the favor.

Out back of the firehouse, Gage and DeSoto pulled in at the same time. Johnny had been dying to know how things were working out with 'Dear Old Mom' hanging around. He was surprised that when Roy got out of his sports car, he looked relaxed. He had expected anxious Roy, looking stiff and tired and biting his lower lip.

"Good Morning!" Roy said to Johnny cheerfully.

"Mornin' Roy. How are things going with your Mom?" He decided not to beat around the bush.

"Fine. We're having a nice visit. She's helping Joanne make some maternity clothes."

"Oh, uh… that's nice." Johnny didn't know what else to say. He was expecting to have his ear bent this morning about how rough it was having Katherine just pop by unannounced, but Roy seemed at ease with it, at least for the moment."

The paramedics walked into the station together and headed for the locker room. As they entered, Linker and Captain Burns were just walking out. The four exchanged "good mornings" as they passed.

Kristy pulled into the back lot of the station bright and early. She wanted to catch the banter between shifts to paint a better picture of life in a firehouse for her story. Sam pulled in just as Kristy closed the door to her car. Kristy saw it was Sam and waited for her. When Sam got out of her car, she launched right onto conversation, forgetting to exchange pleasantries.

"About the other day," Kristy started. "I guess I didn't come off too well at first. I mean, I have always thought that the fire department was some kind of good ol' boys club with exclusive membership rights for men only. I was just so happy to see that you had gotten in… and I thought you must be fighting for every little right along the way… well, anyway, what I meant was, I'm glad you're in and I can see you and your shift mates are happy. I'd like to tell your story."

"Tell my story?" Sam repeated.

"Yes. I'm here to shed positive light on the department and the improved Emergency Medical System. It's not just ambulance services any more. You are a part of that but you, being a pioneer in the department, have a special appeal… to me personally as a woman and… to the general public. I'd like to write about your journey getting here and the challenges and failures and triumphs. I want to show that woman are as capable as men and I want to encourage other women to push themselves to do what they really want to do. What do you say?" Kristy gave her best persuasive speech to Sam.

"Well, I'd say I haven't had very good luck with reporters, for starters."

"I'm LACoFD approved. You know I had to get approval through Dick Friend to even be here."

"Yeah, well, so did the last guy," said Sam as she held the door to the station open. "And I sure as hell don't want a repeat of that fiasco!"

"No, of course not! Johnny filled me in on that a little the other night. I'm sorry that happened. I promise to be professional and you can see the final article before it is released. What do you say?" Kristy had followed Sam to the locker room and Sam was ready to change. Sam grabbed the curtain that Mike had installed and pulled it shut right between her self and Kristy.

"I'll think about it, okay? That's the best I can do right now."

A few minutes later, all of A-shift (minus Captain Stanley) was in the day room and most of C shift was there as well, enjoying a box of donuts that was sitting on the table. Captain Burns wasn't but they were probably in the office.

"These are good!" Marco stated as he enjoyed a cream filled chocolate bismark. "Where'd they come from?"

"Cap said HQ had them delivered," said Linker.

Just then Hank Stanley came into the room from his office. "Well men we're gonna get sta…" he stopped mid sentence seeing the delicious donuts. "What's the harm in five minutes," he asked to no one in particular. He reached down for a cruller and closed his eyes to take a bite. As he did, the phone rang.

"I'll get it," offered Mike whose mouth was empty at the time.

"L.A. County Fire Department… Yes ma'am.... your cat is _where?_ Oh... I see. I'm sorry, but... Well no Ma'am, we don't really do that… _Really_, we _don't_."

As he listened to the engineer speak, Hank's face showed a hint of a smile and his eyes reflected mild amusement. If he had a nickel for every cat in a tree call they got…

"Well, I'm sorry you thought so ma'am, but that's too darned bad!" said Mike, sounding quite annoyed.

At this point, Hank's look of amusement changed to concern. Mike kept talking. The rest of the guys got quiet and watched the scene unfold as they listened in on Mike's end of the conversation.

"Well, frankly, we don't give a monkey's _butt_ about your cat, lady!"

Hank's mouth fell open and his eyes were wide with shock and disbelief. _What the heck had gotten into his engineer? What was Mike doing?  
_  
"Oh yeah?" Mike shouted into the phone. "Well kiss my _butt_ you whiny baby, we're _not coming_ to get your stinking cat out of your freaking tree!"

Hank was freaking out now, visibly turning red and starting to sweat and his hands were balled up into tight fists. He was frantically mouthing silently for Mike to stop talking, to calm down, anything… Just stop talking! He was going to have some serious damage control to do after this one.

"_Screw_ you _and_ your freaking cat, you old prune! My name? Yeah, I'll tell you my name! It's _Captain Hank Stanley_ ya dumb twit!" With that Mike slammed the phone down. After he hung it up he shook his head and muttered. "Unbe-freaking-lievable!" Then he walked over to the table and selected a donut for himself.

Hank nearly had a massive heart attack on the spot. He was so shocked and so angry that one of his men would treat a citizen so disrespectfully that he couldn't even speak. His mouth was moving, but nothing was coming out. Sammy, Roy and Johnny were by his side immediately assessing him. Roy as unobtrusively as possible took hold of his captains wrist to feel for a pulse. It was rapid. The rest of A-shift and C-shift huddled around looking concerned.

"Cap, why don't you sit down a minute," Sam suggested, pulling a chair over to him. Johnny steered him to the chair and sat him down.

"Calm down, Cap. Take a few deep breaths." Johnny coached him.

"You got your heart rate up there pretty good, Cap," said Roy. I'm just gonna take your pulse again now." Roy again took his captain's wrist in his hand sliding two fingers into the hollow.

"What's going on here?" asked Captain Burns gruffly as he walked in.

"Cap seems to have gotten a little excited or something," said Stoker.

"About what?" demanded Captain Burns.

"Beats me," said Mike. "I was on the phone."

"S… S… Stoker!!" Captain Stanley stuttered angrily.

Mike put on his best innocent face. "What?"

"Y… Y… You d-d-didn't just t-talk to a citizen like th-that! Tell me you d-d-didn't!"

"What?" he looked surprised. "Cap? You really think I would do a thing like that? Of course I didn't." Mike said it with a straight face.

Captain Burns walked over to Mike and slapped him on the back. "Masterfully done, Stoker!"

"Yeah, man, the debt has been re-paid!" Linker said before turning to his own captain. "Cap, that was brilliant calling from the dorm!"

Both crews burst into laughter as Hank stared blankly at his own engineer then looked at his C-shift counterpart and engineer who were standing there looking quite pleased with them selves.

Hank opened his mouth to speak, shut it, and then opened it again. "Okay, you two, you have completely corrupted my engineer. This is my firehouse now. See your way out of it!" He dismissed Captain Burns and Mike Linker. "The rest of you, out!" he said to their crew. "Roll call in five minutes!" With that he got up from the chair and walked away to his office and slammed the door.

Chet walked over to Mike. "Stoker, I didn't know you had it in you! Well done! Oh, and thanks."

"For what?" asked Mike.

"Taking over latrine duty!

Kristy, who had been watching and listening the whole time with both horror and fascination walked over to Mike. "Can I ask you something?" she said.

Mike nodded once at her and waited for her to speak again.

"Why would you do a thing like that? Are you trying to make a point or something?"

"Not at all. I owed Mike a favor and this was the price he named."

"Just like that? You just do whatever he wants, consequences be damned?" she said, clearly shocked.

"Pretty much, within reason." He answered. "Excuse me." With that he filed out the door to line up for roll call along with the rest of the crew.

***Thanks for sticking with the drama. I hope that you enjoyed my attempt at comic relief. It was adopted directly from a prank that actually happened at my brother's fire station. I mostly just cleaned it up a little to reflect the family friendly spirit of Emergency! Your comments are welcome and appreciated. -Hotflash**


	16. Chapter 16

**And Then There Were Three**

Chapter 16

*** Hi everyone! Long time –no updates! Thanks for being patient with me. EMT school was hard but I finished with an A! WOOT! I had a week more of work before summer vacation and then I spent 10 days at my brother's fire station/home working side by side with him on medical and trauma calls! I just got back. It's been so long since I wrote that I had to re-read all three of my stories just to figure out what to write. I will try to update regularly from here on out until I finish this story and my other one, but I still have to take the National Registry exam so much of my time is devoted to studying for that. That exam is scheduled for the 16****th**** of July so after that I can relax. In any case, I'm BACK! I hope you enjoy the rest of my stories and please leave feedback! I'm rusty and I need it to get the creativity flowing again. Thanks! =) Hotflash**

When roll call began, Hank stood before his men looking calm and relaxed. He was sure that was because he had spent five minutes in his office counting to ten, (ten times) and practicing some deep breathing. He would never admit it to any fireman ever, but it was a good gag that Mike had pulled off and he had done so perfectly. He had truly believed his engineer had flipped his lid.

Mike, knowing better than to show any fear or remorse stood proudly at his usual spot in the line up as though nothing had happened. Inside though, he was all butterflies. He and Hank had a special relationship of trust and understanding. They always had each other's backs and Mike couldn't help but feel like he had betrayed his captain. Still, a debt owed had to be paid. He had really had no choice.

Hank gave out announcements and assigned chores for the day. When he got to Mike he took a deep breath. "Stoker, latrine. For one month. Maybe longer."

"Right Cap," responded Mike. He could respect that. Mike breathed an audible sigh. He had thought Hank might yell and smoke him something awful. That he was prepared for. That he could handle. Instead Hank had remained calm and simply assigned him latrine duty. Now he had to wait for the other boot to fall.

"All right, guys, listen up!" Hank demanded the full attention of his crew. He wasn't mad any more, but he had important ground to cover.

"As you are well aware, Kelley here has had some unwanted attention lately. The stalker has gone so far as to enter the station somehow, probably when we roll out, before the door is down tight. Therefore, before pulling out, we will have to delay and make sure the door is down. I know that will slow response times but there isn't a better solution right now. We can't have people pawing around inside while we're gone. I want everyone to keep an eye out for anyone suspicious hanging around the station or at scenes and if you see anything, make a note of it and report it immediately. Any questions about that?" Hank finished.

The men had no questions about it so Hank dismissed them and went back to his office.

As the men dispersed to their respective assignments, Sam held back a bit. She wanted to see how Mike really was but then she realized Kristy was there with them and she didn't want to bring attention to any kind of a relationship other than a professional one so she quickly walked to the far side of the Engine, opened the compartment with the paramedic supplies and began her inventory.

Hank sat in his office looking over the call logs from the shift before. He wasn't really seeing anything he was looking at. He was dithering about being had in front of not just his own men but also those from the previous shift. Worse, Captain Burns had been in on it too. It would be a long time before he lived this down, if he ever _could_. Suddenly he became aware that there had been a knock at his door.

"It's open," he said, not wanting to get up to open it. He watched as the door slowly opened and Roy's head appeared, the rest of his body obscured from view behind the door.

"Sorry to bother you Cap. It's just… Well, I thought I'd just see how you were and uh, if there was anything I could do for you?" Roy wanted to make sure Hank had settled down and to let him know he was available for him as a friend.

"Roy, come on in." Hank lowered his head as the station's "rock" approached the desk where he was sitting. "I guess I was a real ass, getting so mad over a stupid prank, huh?" he said.

"Well, I wouldn't say that. We _all_ were a little concerned there when we heard Mike talking on the phone…" Roy didn't need to continue. His words were affirming but more might have been condescending, and that was the last thing he wanted to be. Roy pulled up a chair and sat down across the desk from Hank and stretched his feet out in front of him. He leaned back and crossed his arms over his middle, lacing his fingers.

"He pulled it off though. He really did, didn't he?" Hank looked his paramedic in the eyes.

"Yeah, I guess he did." Roy answered. "He had us all fooled. But… it could have been worse."

Hank stared at Roy waiting for him to elaborate. Roy kind of shrugged a little as he said, "It could have been a real call. Imagine the call the chief would've gotten then!"

Hank just shook his head, a small smile creeping across his face. "You're right about that!" he said. He was grateful that Roy had stepped into his office. Roy had a way of making him feel better just by listening. He always remained calm and unflappable.

Roy chuckled. "You shoulda seen the look on Chet's face, it was priceless."

"During the phone call? Or when I assigned station chores?" Cap inquired.

"During the call he looked absolutely dumbfounded! And when he realized it was a prank, he looked positively green. I think he was jealous that he wasn't in on it!" Roy explained. "And when you handed out station chores he stood there looking very smug for a few minutes afterwards. You may have to get creative because with latrine duty assigned out for a month, he could get downright pesky with his pranks around here."

"Good point. I'll keep that under consideration." Hank sat thoughtfully staring at an old stale cup of coffee that was cold and half empty on his desk.

Roy followed his gaze. "Would you like a fresh cup?" he asked.

Hank considered it for a moment before answering. "Might as well," he answered with a sigh. "I've gotta face them all again some time."

"Aw Cap, it won't be that bad. They won't dare rib you about it," Roy said.

"No, but they'll all be snickering every time they think I've wandered out of earshot," Cap replied back.

Roy couldn't argue with that so he just stood up. "Come on, I'll buy."

Hank smiled at his friend then stood up and followed him out of the office.

Kristy approached Sam slowly and stood back watching her a moment as she counted supplies before she spoke. She began by clearing her throat.

"Uh hehm!"

Sam looked up from her trauma box and acknowledged her. "Oh, hi," she said and turned back to her inventory.

"Hi. That was some show in there." Kristy didn't know how else to start.

"The prank? That kind of stuff is pretty routine. This is a tough business. If you don't blow off some steam sometimes it really gets to you," she explained.

"Well, is it usually a practice in the department to make your superiors the butt of the joke?" She asked. She was truly amazed at the dynamics of it all.

"Nobody is sacred in a firehouse unless he wears a white helmet, and even then sometimes…" answered Sam. "I mean, the consequences can be more severe for pranking the Captain, but he's as human as the rest of us and therefore, fair game. Besides, you saw how it went down. Stoker owed a debt. He really didn't have a choice." Sam scribbled something on the pad she took out of her shirt pocket and returned the trauma box. She took out the drug box and began her inventory on it next.

Kristy considered Sam's explanation. At least it was consistent with Stoker's. She decided she wasn't going to learn anything more about life in the department from that angle at the moment so she changed the subject.

"So, how have you liked working here at Station 51?"

"Fine. I like the guys I work with and we get plenty of action. I've learned a lot. It's a pretty nice gig." She scribbled another note on her pad.

"Do you feel like the guys really accept you here?"

Sam looked at Kristy a moment. "Yes. My shift mates and I trust each other implicitly. We all come to work for one reason: To serve our community the best we can. Sometimes it's exciting work and sometimes it's dull work. Sometimes it's exhilarating and sometimes it drains the life right out of you. But when we roll on a call, we all work together. We do our best, we watch each other's backs and we make a difference for people on the worst day of their lives. To do that well and stay alive, we have to really count on each other and function as a solid team. I couldn't ask for a better crew and I love being a part of the family here."

"Surely it took some time though. I mean… you didn't have that acceptance just for walking in the door did you?" Kristy inquired.

"No, of course not. But neither would any other recruit. The nature of our job makes us have to trust each other but it isn't something that comes automatically. You have to earn trust and respect. You have to show that you can do the job, that you're unflappable when it really counts," answered Sam. She put the drug box away.

Kristy nodded as she listened to Sam speak. "That makes sense," she said. "So how did you do it?"

"Earn their trust?" questioned Sam. Kristy nodded in response. "Well, I just did my job. I did what any of the rest of the guys would do… pulled my own weight, didn't accept any favors or expect any allowances, kept an open mind to learn new things… a lot of things helped, I guess. I mean, this job is physically demanding and I have to work hard to keep in shape. And face it, men can be… coarse… at times. But I have to let it roll off my back. I can't get bent out of shape every time somebody makes an off color comment or farts, or what ever it may be. I don't complain and I give it right back if I need to."

"Just like that?" Kristy responded.

"Just like that!" Sam answered.

"Hey amigo, did you have that date with Sue yesterday?" Marco asked his best friend as they scrubbed hoses.

"Yeah, I sure did." Chet said smiling. "She's a fine chick, Marco."

"She sure is," he agreed. "So where'd you take her?"

"I took her around a bunch of the stations so she could snap pictures of the different apparatus."

"No kidding?" replied Marco. That was the strangest way to spend a date that he could imagine.

"Well, you know, she really digs that stuff," Chet explained.

"And you got to show off a cute chick by your side," Marco said, winking a knowing eye at his friend.

"That too." Chet flashed his cheesy smile and continued scrubbing.

"What'd you do after that?"

"I showed her my antique barbed wire collection."

"I bet _that_ impressed her," replied Marco, sarcastically.

"She said it was _fascinating,_" defended Chet.

"Right!" Marco said and changed the subject. "So any ideas who your stalker is or why you're being stalked?"

"No. It's really weird. Kinda creepy even." Chet answered.

"You can say that again."

The phone rang and a moment later Sam approached Chet. "Hey Chet, phone's for you."

"Who is it?"

"She said she's your sister," Sam answered. Chet's face lit up and he jogged off to answer the phone.

"Hi Sis," he said brightly, picking up the phone.

"Try again, Hotstuff" came a voice, attempting to sound sultry.

Chet wasn't sure he heard right. "Excuse me?" he said.

"Chet, it's me. Don't you know my voice?" He didn't.

"Who IS this?" he demanded.

"I'm hurt that you don't know," she whimpered.

"What is your name and what do you want from me?" he demanded again.

***Remember, please leave feedback! I need your input to get back into the groove! Thanks!**


	17. Chapter 17

**And Then There Were Three**

Chapter 17

**Station 51, Engine 36, Ladder 36, Battalion 1 Structure Fire 1433 Cherry Lane, Possible Entrapment 1-4-3-3 Cherry Lane, Cross Street 14****th**** Avenue East Time out 9:17**

Chet slammed the phone back in the cradle and split for his spot on the truck. It took less than a minute from the time of dispatch before Mike was pulling the Engine out of the driveway. The squad was just behind him and Roy paused momentarily to confirm the bay door had closed completely before racing off to the call.

_That's my neighbor, _thought Chet. The address was a duplex three houses to the south of Chet's apartment complex. As the Engine rolled up to the scene, Captain Stanley could see house was heavily involved on one side. He ordered Chet to the hydrant and he made it look easy when he grabbed the wide diameter, heavy hose and heaved it with him. He wrapped it around the hydrant once and signaled for Mike to pull the Engine forward. As soon as the hose unfolded from the hosebed, Chet was hooking up and in no time he had the hydrant open providing a steady supply to the Engine.

Cap jumped out and grabbed the wheel chock and placed it under the wheel quickly as he directed Marco to pull a two inch pre-connnect hose line. Marco was already on it, having anticipated his Captain's orders and Chet jogged over to join him as Marco headed for the house. At the front walk they both stopped to pull on their SCBA masks and quickly gave each other a once over to make sure both were good to go then they headed in.

Sam was already geared up and ready to go in but Cap instructed her check the other half of the duplex to make sure there were no occupants inside. She found the doors to be locked and windows closed. Banging loudly on the door she shouted "Fire Department! Is anyone there?" She continued to bang loudly but got no response. She tried to see in but the shades were closed. She pulled her HT out of her pocket and radioed her Captain. "Command from HT 51"

"Command," acknowledged Captain Stanley.

"Cap, nobody is answering and it's locked up. I'm going to break a window and do a search."

"Negative, Anderson. Wait for backup. Somebody will be with you momentarily." Two in was the rule, and for good reason.

Chief McConnike approached Hank at that very moment asking for a report. Hank gave him a brief synopsis and passed command, heading over to back Sam up. As Sam saw him approach she took a large flashlight out of her pocket and used it to break the window. She cleared the shards of broken glass away from the edges of the window frame with it then climbed in through the empty frame, turned and opened the door for her Captain. Quickly the two of them searched the house finding nothing but smoke and a frightened cat who ran between Sam's legs and shot outside when she opened the door to the master bedroom.

"All clear," shouted Hank through his SCBA mask. The two firefighters headed back outside. Sam went to the front compartment on the Engine, grabbed an armload of gear and began setting up a patient area while Hank reported back to McConnike. Kristy was there at the Engine and asked Sam if she could help. Sam pointed to the compartment she had opened. "Grab the O2 and the defibrillator."

Kristy looked and easily identified the O2 but she didn't know which box was the defibrillator. Sam glanced over and saw her hesitation.

"That one!" she said as Kristy's hand passed near it. Kristy grabbed the handle of the case and pulled, startled by how heavy it was. She hauled it out of the compartment and brought both items to the parking strip where Sam had set out a yellow blanket in case Roy and John found a victim inside.

John and Roy had entered the house right behind Marco and Chet who knocked down flames ahead of them. The rescuers began a methodical search of the house and the deeper they got inside the hotter it got. All of a sudden Roy thought he heard something. He held a hand up to Johnny and pointed the direction he thought he heard it from.

"There! Did you hear that?" he hollered through his mask. Johnny nodded and the two headed towards the sound into the thick of the flames and smoke. Soon they heard the sound again, a heavy pounding from the other side of a door they were directly in front of.

"Fire Department! Stand back!" shouted Roy as Johnny tried the doorknob. It opened easily and inside a coat closet was a frightened woman on her hands and knees, coughing between hysterical sobs. Johnny and Roy each took one hand and pulled her quickly to her feet then Roy hoisted her over his shoulder and hastily exited the building with her, Johnny at his heels. The second they were out the door Johnny peeled his mask and held it up to the woman's face as he stayed along side Roy who was headed for Sam. When he reached her, Sam helped remove the woman from his shoulders and immediately started high concentration O2.

"Is there anyone else inside?" asked Sam as she placed the non-rebreather mask over her patient's face. The woman who was still hysterical did not answer and tried to rip the mask from her face.

"Hey now, settle down," said Roy, kneeling beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "I need to know, is there anyone else in there I need to go back for?"

The woman shook her head no, still fighting the mask.

"Ok, good. Now just relax. Keep the mask on your face. The oxygen is going to help you calm down and breathe easier. You've had quite a scare." Roy readjusted the mask over the woman's mouth and nose and took her hand, giving her a reassuring squeeze. "That's it. Just breathe slowly. Nice slow breaths. You're doing fine."

Sam was taking vitals and Johnny had connected to Rampart. Sam looked at Roy, concern on her face. "Let's get her patched in," she said. "Johnny, pulse 140 and thready, respirations 26, standby for BP."

Johnny reported to Rampart while Roy cut the woman's shirt open and began applying patches. The woman grabbed the mask off her face and cried out frantically as Sam reported the BP to Johnny.

"I can't… breathe… help me! Am… I having…. A… heart attack?"

"Calm down Ma'am. We're hooking you up right now so a doctor can take a look at your heart rhythm. We're doing everything we can to take care of you but I need you to stay calm, understand?" She had one of the woman's hands in hers trying to comfort her.

The woman nodded.

"Good. Slow, deep breaths. Try to be still. What's your name?"

"Mary." It came out muffled through the mask.

"Mary?" Sam repeated and the woman nodded. "Okay. Do you hurt anywhere?"

Mary pointed to her chest.

"Rampart, we're sending you a strip. This will be on lead two," Johnny said.

"Have you ever had chest pain or any kind of heart problems before?" asked Sam.

Roy prepared to start an IV as Sam assessed Mary.

Mary nodded yes.

"Do you take medication for it?" Another nod.

"What's the medication?"

"Nitro…" she started to answer but couldn't say the whole word. She lost consciousness mid sentence.

"V-Fib!" Roy shouted. "Clear!" Sam charged the defibrillator and when it was charged Roy again shouted, "Clear" and delivered the shock. Sam and Roy turned their eyes to the monitor.

"No conversion!" stated Sam and she pushed the button to recharge. "Clear!" commanded Roy and then shocked her again. Time seemed to stand still as the paramedics returned their eyes to the monitor. To their relief, it showed a steady strong rhythm.

Johnny continued communications with Rampart, received and repeated back treatment instructions and passed the information on to Roy and Sam. As Roy administered IV medications, the ambulance attendants arrived with their gurney and Mary was quickly loaded and packaged to go.

"You going or am I?" Roy asked Sam.

"I'll go," she answered. "Come on Kristy. You can ride in with us."

Kristy was pleased at the invitation and quickly hopped in through the side door and took the seat at the head of the gurney as Sam directed her to. Sam began to get a second set of vitals the moment they had Mary's gurney locked in, starting with BP because it was difficult to hear when the ambulance is in motion and sirens are blaring. She recorded her findings and continued her care as the doors were closed and she heard the two slaps on them before the ambulance pulled out, code 3.

Roy and John reported to Chief McConnike who was about to direct them to relieve Marco and Chet when there was a loud crash from the structure. Roy and John turned and ran toward the building, not needing to be told what to do next. Cautiously they made their way into the doorway, immediately going to their hands and knees, following the hoseline. Not far in they discovered a pile of rubble where the upper floor had collapsed. The rubble buried the hose.

"Marco, Chet! Can you hear me?" shouted John.

"John! Over here!" Marco yelled back.

Roy tried to see if there was a way around the rubble while Johnny started ripping the pile apart with his gloved hands. Seeing no way around it Roy began pulling pieces off the pile and tossing them aside too. It wasn't long before they unburied Chet's lower half of his body. His upper back and head were clear of the debris but he had been pinned underneath it. Marco was pinned by his legs as well and in short order Roy and John had them both freed. Roy hoisted Chet over his shoulders and John hoisted Marco over his and the two carried their brothers out into fresh air. Roy got Chet's coat off of him as fast as he could as it was smoking hot. Mike cooled him with a reel line.

Chet's next door neighbor was behind the yellow tape closest to where Chet had been taken and she recognized him when Roy removed his coat. "Chet, Oh My God! Is he okay?" she hollered as she tried to duck under the tape. She made it half way from the tape to the yellow blanket before Officer Howard stopped her.

"Ma'am, please stay back. Give the firemen room to work!" He commanded.

"But he's my neighbor!" she exclaimed as she tried to push past him. Vince took her firmly by the shoulders and guided her back to the area behind the tape.

"I'm sorry Ma'am. You have to stay back!"

During this time, Roy and John were assessing their patients. Johnny found Marco to be okay except for a knee that was likely sprained. Chet came out remarkably well himself. He had some second degree burns on his neck and back but his spine did not appear to be injured and neither did his limbs. His side hurt a bit but he felt fortunate that he had come out so well. It wasn't long before both men were loaded into an ambulance and Roy hopped in with them.

As Johnny walked over towards the squad to follow he saw Chet's neighbor and even from a distance she looked pale. He quickly stepped over to her.

"Ma'am, are you okay?" He asked, noticing her respirations were rapid and shallow.

"I'm… I'm okay. What about Chet? He's my neighbor, you know. Is he going to be alright?"

Johnny reached for the woman and guided her under the tape and over to the squad. "We sent him off to be checked out, but he was doing fine. Let's make sure you're okay, shall we?" he coaxed as he got her to sit on the bumper of the squad. He put his stethoscope in his ears and grabbed his cuff to take her blood pressure. It was high but not too high. She had just been shaken up over things.

He checked her pulse and counted respirations. "Try and slow down your breathing now," he said. He got the O2 tank out and set up a nasal cannula for her. "I'd like to give you a little oxygen to help you slow it down and relax, okay?"

She nodded and allowed him to slip the cannula in place. "What's your name?"

"Sandy," she answered.

"Sandy, I'm John. Are you feeling any better?"

"Well, I don't feel so lightheaded any more."

"Good. I think you just got a little excited there. You're going to be just fine."

"Thank you, I'm sorry to have troubled you." Sandra looked embarrassed.

"It's quite alright. That was pretty scary."

Johnny talked to the woman for a few more minutes to monitor her condition and when he was sure she was fine he packed up and headed off to Rampart.

***Don't forget to leave a review. I relish your input and love when you share ideas with me! PLEASE leave feedback because it often helps me think of new directions or solutions to tie up loose ends! Thanks. Hotflash**


	18. Chapter 18

**And Then There Were Three**

Chapter 18

"It's just lucky you guys pulled him out when you did," said Dixie to John and Roy. Chet could have been burned much more severely."

"I'm just glad that's all he sustained. I was concerned about broken bones," said Roy.

"Well, he seems to have avoided that. The ribs are bruised but Joe didn't see any fractures. Chet's a lucky man."

"Well, I was pretty lucky too," Marco added. "Thanks again guys."

Johnny smiled and Roy nodded at Marco. "Well, shall we check in on Chet and head back?" suggested John. The others nodded.

"Bye fellas," said Dixie. "Stay safe!"

"That's the plan!" Roy responded. On their way out they stopped into Chet's room. He was hitting on a nurse who was trying to get him to hold still so she could give him some pain medication through his IV but Chet was talking with his hands as usual. He looked up when the others walked in.

"Oh, hi guys!" He looked at the petite, flustered nurse. "Hold on, Honey, let me say goodbye to the guys." He looked back up at them.

"I see you're in good hands, amigo," said Marco. "I guess they're going to keep you overnight."

"Yeah, but I'm outta here first thing tomorrow," Chet vowed.

"We'll see," said Roy reaching out his hand. Chet thought it was to shake his handand offered his in return. Roy took it but did not shake it. "Go ahead," he said to the nurse. "He'll hold still for you now."

The nurse quickly injected the medication through the IV port. Then excused herself after thanking Roy.

"Hey, you let her get away," complained Chet.

"Good bye Chet. We'll check on you later," Roy said, letting go of Chet's hand. The firemen walked out. Engine 51 pulled up in front of the squad just as they reached it. Sam was leaning against the squad waiting for them when it pulled up.

"See you at the barn," Roy said. Marco and Sam climbed onto the Engine while Roy and John climbed into the squad and followed the Engine back home.

Later that evening after dinner had been delivered to Chet's room his nurse came in to see him. "Well, Mr. Kelley, are you up to a visitor?"

"Is she cute?" he joked.

"I'll let you be the judge of that." She checked to make sure he had enough water to drink, took his vitals and turned to go. "I'll send her in."

A moment later, Chet's neighbor entered his room. "Hi Chet, how are you feeling?" she asked brightly. "I saw you at the fire today and I just had to see for myself that you were okay."

"Oh, uh… Hi…." He couldn't remember her name. "Uh… "

"Sandy, your neighbor, remember me?"

"Right, two doors down. I remember. No more barbecue fires I hope?" He asked.

Sandy blushed a little. "No, my grilling days are over! If I never see another barbecue it will be too soon. Who'd have thought such a small grill could produce such big flames?"

"Aw, you don't have to give it up, just be prepared and never leave it unattended."

"No thanks! Once was enough." She replied. "I'm just glad you were home and out on your deck to see there was a problem. You came over and had it out so quickly! You'll be happy to know I have two fire extinguishers in my apartment now. One on the deck and one in the kitchen."

"That's good. You can never be too careful," Chet said.

Sandy smiled at him. "So… how are you doing? Are you okay, really?" she asked changing the subject. "I saw that fireman carry you out only I didn't know it was you, but when he took your coat off and your helmet was off I was so scared when I saw it was you."

"Ah, I'm fine. Nothing but a few small burns… I'm the lucky one, you know. I'm relaxing in an air conditioned room, being waited on hand and foot and they're hanging out in a hot fire house, poor saps!" Chet answered.

Sandy reached over and took Chet's hand, pulling it up to her face and she kissed it gently. "I'm glad you're okay, Chet. I really am. Stop by sometime when you're home again. I never got a chance to properly thank you for putting out the fire. Maybe I can make you dinner or something."

"Yeah, sure… I'll be sure and do that," he said, feeling strange about the whole thing for some reason. He just had a weird feeling in his gut.

"Good, I'll see you soon," she said, letting go of his hand. "Bye." She gave him a quick little wave and turned and left.

JoAnne awoke from her nap and thought how glad she was to have Amber there to help with the kids. She got up slowly and headed for the kitchen, feeling a little dizzy and lightheaded. When she reached the kitchen she looked out the window and saw Amber pushing Katie on the swing in the tree while Chris was over with Becca who was playing with Trouble. The beagle was on his back enjoying a haphazard tummy rub from the toddler. With a smile, JoAnne turned away from the window to find something to drink. She took out some orange juice and poured herself a glass.

JoAnne drank it down in one long guzzle. She'd have poured herself more but that had been the last of it so she settled for a glass of water. She opened the freezer to get out the ice. She struggled with the metal release bar to break the ice apart from the aluminum form and when it finally came loose, she ended up dumping some of the ice on the counter in the process. With a sigh she began cleaning up the mess, popping a partial cube in her mouth. It felt good in her mouth and she crunched it up and got another. That was followed by another and still more after that. She found the ice satisfied her like nothing else could and before long she had eaten an entire tray of ice.

Finally satisfied, JoAnne went to the desk, sat down and took out a piece of paper. On it she began a list of what she wanted in a nanny to help her with the kids. With any luck, the DeSoto's and Gage's would hire someone before the kids were back in school from the holiday break.

A few days later, Roy kissed his wife goodbye as he headed off to work. "Amber's finishing up breakfast with Becca and Katie and Chris slept in this morning. I'll call you later and I'll see you tonight. And don't over do it. You have help for a reason." He winked at her and then planted another lingering kiss on her lips before heading off to work.

JoAnne sat up and prepared to start her day. She was expecting to interview a young woman at 9:00 for the nanny position. She needed to shower, eat and make sure the house was presentable before the woman got there. She'd have to hustle.

When JoAnne emerged from her room, freshly showered, dressed and made up, she was pleasantly surprised to find the kitchen had been cleaned up and Amber had Becca and Katie in Katie's room quietly playing Barbies. Katie was a little frustrated that Becca kept taking the outfits off of the Barbies just as fast as Katie could get them on but she was being very good natured about it. JoAnne smiled at the three girls. "Thanks, Amber for straightening up the kitchen. And Katie, I like the way you are being so patient with Becca."

"Mommy, she just won't stop making the Barbie's naked," Katie said in frustration.

"Well, honey, why don't you let her help choose what they should wear? Maybe that would help." Suggested JoAnne.

"Okay. I'll try it but I don't think it will help," Katie said.

"Well, maybe I can read Becca a story and she'd leave your Barbies alone for a while, would you like me to try?" suggested Amber.

Katie considered this thoughtfully for a moment. On the one hand, it would be nice if Becca was not continuously undoing all her work. On the other, if that happened, she would have to play Barbie's alone. After a moment's thought, she decided that was the lesser of two evils. "Yes please."

As Amber scooped up Becca and a few of Katie's younger story books from her bookshelf, JoAnne let the older two girls know that she was going to be conducting an interview in the kitchen in a few minutes.

"What's interview, Mommy?" asked Katie.

"It means I'm going to ask a lady some questions to try and get to know her a little, sort of like making a new friend. I'm hoping to make a new friend to help me keep an eye on you kids and keep the house clean on the days Daddy is at work so I can start to get ready for us to have a baby in the house."

"Is the baby coming soon?" Katie asked, hopefully.

"Not for a little while yet, but soon enough, now play nicely and don't wake up your brother, okay? Let him sleep until he feels like getting up."

"Ok, Mommy. See you later." Katie dismissed her mother from her room. JoAnne walked back to the kitchen just in time to hear the doorbell ring.

JoAnne answered the door to a tall, broad woman in her late twenties. Her long hair was a light golden brown worn straight with the front pulled to the back in a barrette. She was dressed in navy slacks and a cream colored, scoop neck shell blouse. JoAnne studied her face as she introduced herself and couldn't help thinking she looked a little familiar.

"Hi, I'm Maggie. I'm here about the nanny job?" Maggie held out her hand. JoAnne shook the hand offered her.

"I'm JoAnne DeSoto, please come in," she said. "We'll talk in the kitchen." JoAnne led her guest to the kitchen and to a seat at the table. "Would you like some coffee?"

"No, thank you. I don't drink coffee."

"I'm trying to quit too. At least for now," JoAnne said, absently rubbing her belly. "How about some tea? I have regular or herbal."

"Now that sounds lovely, but why don't you sit down. If you direct me to where things are, I can fix it and you can relax." She was already standing again before JoAnne could argue. She showed Maggie where the tea and kettle were and Maggie set about fixing the tea. When the water was on to boil, she sat down again. "Shouldn't be long," she said. "So do you have some questions for me?"

"Well, I thought maybe I'd tell you a little about us first, and we can go from there."

"Sounds good to me," said Maggie.

"Well, Roy and I have two kids; Katie is 5 and Chris is 8. And then our niece is here with us when her daddy is working and Becca's almost two. I don't work outside the home but I keep very busy with the kids in school, sports, and so forth. Also, I am expecting a baby in mid April, so I can use a little help keeping things together."

"Congratulations. You must be so excited," said Maggie.

"We are. I was a little unsure at first but Roy is so happy to have a baby on the way and now I can hardly wait." JoAnne rubbed her belly again, lovingly. She was already so in love with the growing child within her and she really was looking forward to holding a new baby in her arms. "Uh, I don't remember if I told you on the phone… we wouldn't be needing you every day, but the schedule would be a little weird."

"What do you mean?" asked Maggie, one eyebrow raised.

"Well, my husband works twenty-four hour shifts, but only every third day. So I'd only need you every third day. You wouldn't necessarily have to work twenty four hour shifts though," chuckled JoAnne.

"That's fine. If you want me to I can. My sister's and I just moved here together and none of us has jobs yet. But that means that my schedule is wide open too! What does your husband do?"

"Roy? He's a fireman. A paramedic for L.A. County," JoAnne answered proudly. "In fact, so is Becca's daddy. They're partners."

"Really? What station?" asked Maggie who's interest was obviously piqued. She stood up to take the boiling water off the stove and poured it into two cups. She set the cups on the table along with the small basket of assorted teas that JoAnne had pointed out to her in the cupboard. She picked up the small bowl of sugar off the counter and looked in a couple of drawers until she found the tea spoons, took two out and set them at the table too.

"Station 51," answered JoAnne.

"Is that in Carson?"

"Yes it is, but how would you know that if you just moved here?" JoAnne was startled by her question.

"Uh, I guess it's a small world. My brother works at that station."

**OK, there it is… another chapter. I have so missed writing! Don't expect another too soon though. See, there's this test I have to take… Please think good thoughts for me and don't forget to leave a review! Thanks. -Hotflash**


	19. Chapter 19

**And Then There Were Three**

Chapter 19

JoAnne stared at the woman sitting across from her. What were the chances of her interviewee being related to a close friend? She was stunned at the woman's revelation but quickly pulled herself together.

"Who's your brother?" she asked.

"Michael Stoker, he drives the fire engine." Maggie answered sounding like the proud sister she was.

"Mike? Oh, he's a sweetie. You do really look a lot like him. I was thinking you looked familiar when I answered the door. I guess that explains it."

The two women smiled at each other, each not knowing quite what to say next. Finally JoAnne broke the silence.

"So you said you just moved here with your sisters? How many of there are you?" she asked.

"Three, myself, Mindy and MaryAnn. Mikie's the oldest, then there's me, then Mindy then MaryAnn," answered Maggie.

"Does Mike know you're in town?" JoAnne wondered because she hadn't heard anything from Roy about Mike's family being in town.

"Oh no, we just came in last week from Montana. We just found an apartment on Friday and moved in yesterday. We figured once we were settled in we'd go surprise him. You won't give away our surprise will you?"

"No, of course not," answered JoAnne.

Over the next hour, JoAnne got to know Maggie better, learning that she had operated her own child care center out of a rental home her parents had, and that her two sisters had worked for her. During the course of the interview, JoAnne heard some funny stories about Mike and his sisters growing up and the two laughed together. JoAnne liked Maggie and thought she would make a fine nanny.

During the interview, Chris had woke up and come into the kitchen in his pajamas looking for something to eat. Maggie had engaged him in conversation easily and found out all about his passion for field medicine and boy scouts.

Finally, JoAnne looked at the clock. "Oh my goodness, I think I've kept you here long enough," she said.

"Oh, I had a wonderful time getting to know you. I think I would enjoy working with your family. Is there anything else you'd like to know about me before I go?"

"No, I think I have a pretty good feel for who you are, Maggie. I will let you know soon if we decide to hire you or if my husband and Becca's parents want to interview you. Do you have a number I can reach you at?"

"Uh, no, not yet. Would it be okay if I just checked back with you? It takes a few days to get the phone hooked up." Maggie hoped that wouldn't be too much of an inconvenience for her prospective employer.

"Oh, of course. Why don't you call me tomorrow, say, mid afternoon. That will give me a chance to talk to my husband and Becca's parents."

"Perfect. Thank you." Maggie shook JoAnne's hand before heading towards the door. "I can see myself out. Have a nice day." And then she left.

JoAnne sat at the table a moment. She really liked Maggie. She hoped the others would too.

By late afternoon, all the station chores had been done, drill time was over and the crew of 51's was relaxing. Mike came in from outside, having checked the mail, and tossed an envelope Chet's way before handing the rest to Hank. "Looks like your fan club again," Mike said as he tossed Chet his mail.

Chet reached for the envelope and held it to his nose. He breathed in the scent of sweet perfume. The rest of the crew was crowded around him, dying to know what it was and whom it was from. Except Marco. He already knew whom it must be from. Chet thought about the woman who had sent it. She was beautiful. And she certainly did seem to like him. Funny though, she had seemed so interesting when he'd met her and he had been interested in getting to know her better. But she worked in a place he didn't usually frequent and he never seemed to make the time to go see her again. He had all but forgotten about her until recently. But now, he wasn't interested. He had his sights on another red head. Since his recent date with Susan, he wasn't interested in any one else of the female persuasion.

"Well, aren't you gonna see who it's from?" asked Johnny, impatiently.

"It's from Big Red ya big dope. Anyone can see that," Chet shot back.

"Oh. Well, aren't you gonna see what it says at least?" Johnny persisted.

"Maybe. But I'm sure not gonna let _you_ see it. It's addressed to me. It's private." Chet was enjoying the attention this had drawn and Johnny was enjoying needling Chet.

Marco stood nearby with a sad expression on his face. When he had started passing notes for Big Red, he had thought Chet would be happy about it and want to meet up with her. But now, he realized, she was going to be let down and he felt sorry for her.

"Amigo, what's in your letter is your business, but you really ought to talk to her. Let her down easy because she is a nice lady and she really thinks your it." Marco said his peace. Afterward, he left the common room.

Marco's comments left an awkward silence. For a few moments nobody said anything. Then slowly, each man busied himself with something. Cap excused himself to his office. Johnny decided he needed to make a fresh pot of coffee. Mike excused himself to the men's room and Roy decided now would be a good time to call his wife. Chet sat there with his envelope contemplating opening it. He finally decided he would, but not there where anyone could read over his shoulder. He got up, walked into the apparatus bay and took his seat on the Engine to read his letter.

_Dear Chet,_

_This is the last letter I'll be sending you. That day you came in to the joint, when Ginger fainted; I saw you and you stole my heart. I had hoped you would come back and see me sometime but time has shown me that you are not interested in the likes of me. It's okay; I can accept that, though I admit I am disappointed. If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me._

_ I wish you well._

_Take care,_

_Big Red_

Chet re-read the brief letter several times. He thought back to the day he had first seen her and how he had been attracted to her. And she had definitely been attracted to him. For the life of him, he couldn't figure out why he'd never acted on it. He felt sorry for her, knowing that she had been so hopeful. He hadn't intended to hurt her feelings. If he hadn't met Susan, things might have been different. But now, he was totally enamored by her and she was the only one he wanted to get to know better. _I'll go see her tomorrow night, and tell her… tell her what?_ He had no idea.

The next morning, Johnny and Roy walked into the DeSoto household after their shift to find three kids eating pigs in a blanket, and Amber washing dishes.

"Daddeeeeeeeee" shouted Becca upon seeing Johnny.

Johnny went quickly to her high chair, unbuckled her and scooped her up in his arms for a great big hug. "How's my little princess?"

Becca responded by putting one sticky hand on each side of her daddy's face and giving him a sticky smooch. The look on his face was priceless when he realized how sticky she and now he was, and Amber couldn't help but laugh. Johnny kissed his angel on her forehead and set her back in her high chair, buckling her in. "Finish your breakfast sweetheart," he said, and then went to the sink to wash the sticky off.

"Is your mother still in bed?" Roy asked Chris. Chris had his mouth full so he nodded an answer.

"Not still in bed, Daddy. Mommy eated and went back to bed." Katie answered her Daddy instead.

"Katie, your mommy didn't eat. I haven't seen her this morning at all," said Amber.

"That's because Mommy and I were up before you got up. She eated and went back to bed," Katie insisted.

"It's okay, sweetheart," said Roy. "I'll go check on her. You finish your breakfast, okay?"

"Okay Daddy."

Roy patted Katie's shoulder then headed down the hall to check on his wife. He walked into the bedroom and found her cuddling his pillow, sound asleep. Carefully he wrestled his pillow back then lay on top of the covers and pulled her close to him. She woke up in the process, happy to see him.

"Roy, good morning. How was the shift?" she asked.

"Oh, same old, same old," he answered. He made it a habit not to talk too much about work when he could help it. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired, but good. Better now that you're here." JoAnne kissed him on the cheek.

"Hey, haven't you got anything better than that?" asked Roy.

JoAnne smiled, cupped Roy's face in both hands and captured his mouth with hers, landing a smoldering hot kiss that lingered. "Better?" she asked.

"Oh yeah!" he said and went for another. Before they were really finished, Katie came padding into the bedroom with a small plate of something.

JoAnne and Roy sat up and invited Katie to climb up. "What have you got there, young lady?" asked Roy puzzled at what he saw on the plate.

"It's dessert," she said proudly. On the plate she was holding out was a rainbow of chalk sticks.

Roy looked at Katie and then his wife trying to get an explanation. JoAnne looked quite sheepish and turned her head away from Roy. "Katie, what are you talking about? Nobody eats chalk for dessert."

"Mommy eated chalk for breakfast," said Katie, "but it was white. I thought since she liked it she might want a different color."

Roy looked at his wife who was not looking his direction. "Annie?" he said.

JoAnne turned toward her young daughter. "Sweetheart, Mommy isn't really hungry right now. Can you just leave it on the night stand?"

"Okay Mommy. You can have it later. You want to have one Daddy?"

"Uh, not right now, Princess. Why don't you go watch cartoons? Mommy and I will be out in a little while, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy." Katie said. She climbed off the bed and padded back out.

Roy turned to his wife who was red-faced. "Honey? You wanna fill me in?"

"I… well… this is really embarrassing, Roy. I don't know what got into me. I was cleaning up after Katie, who left the chalk out after drawing last night at the table and for some reason I just has a mad urge to eat it."

Roy smiled at his wife. It was kind of funny. "Don't be embarrassed. Just tell me one thing. How was it?" he asked.

JoAnne looked at him for a moment and then burst out laughing. "Terrible!" she answered between giggles. "I just don't know what got into me."

"I think you better talk to your doctor," said Roy. "I've heard of this before. Sometimes pregnant women get cravings for weird things like starch, chalk, ice, and all sorts of odd things. It's nothing to worry about. I think that it has something to do with an iron deficiency or something like that."

After that JoAnne changed the subject. She had told Roy about Maggie the night before when he had called home. "I guess we should go talk to Johnny about Maggie before he takes Becca home, don't you think?"

"Yeah, that would be a good idea," agreed Roy.

"You want to go out and make sure he doesn't leave right away and I'll get dressed?" JoAnne suggested.

"Yeah, okay." Roy gave his wife a kiss on the nose. Then he went back out to catch Johnny. He needn't have worried. Johnny was sitting at the table with the kids, munching away. The guy was a bottomless pit.

"Oh, Hi Roy," he said with his mouth full. "Have some breakfast. These are great!"

"I know", Roy said, pouring himself a cup of coffee. "You want some?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks." Roy handed the cup he'd already poured to Johnny and poured another for himself before putting the kettle on for some herbal tea for JoAnne.

Amber got up from the table and washed her own dishes. "Is there anything else I can do, Mr. DeSoto?" she asked. Roy had told her she could call him Roy, but she felt more comfortable addressing him formally, as she was raised.

"No, I can't think of anything. Thank you, Amber."

"You're welcome." She turned towards Johnny. "Johnny? I'll be in the living room whenever it's time to go."

"Okay," he answered.

Roy sat down at the table. "Johnny, Annie interviewed a girl she thinks she'd like to hire. She's getting dressed and then she'll be out to tell you about her."

***In case there is confusion, remember that way back in chapter 11 Marco revealed that he had been leaving notes from Big Red in Chet's locker. Chet finally realized that Big Red was "that belly dancer chick" from the call they had been on months previously when another dancer had fainted. However, Big Red is not the stalker.**


End file.
